Brotherhood Five: The Invisible Cell
by King of the Worthless
Summary: When the Scarlet Witch's memory is restored, the Brotherhood drifts apart. Years later, Quicksilver brings them back together to face a new threat: Wanda herself, as well as her new ally, who threaten both the X-Men and the reformed Magneto.
1. Prologue

**What? Oh shit, King of the Worthless is back! Wait, who is he again? Well, I used to write fanfiction. Then I got drafted to fight some kind of interstellar war (we lost, by the way). In the meantime, I was apparently locked out of my account for a good while. Recently, I was able to finally log in. Hmmm.**

**Anyway, let's get on with this.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution. If I did, you'd all owe me. For serious, yo. Actually, since this doesn't take place during X-Men: Evolution's run, I'm no longer billing this as an Evolution fic. It still sort of is, but it's sort of not. Marvel still owns our asses, though.**

**Now... X-Men: Evolution ended years ago. I'm sure dozens of authors have already written about the post-Ascension time period. But you know what? To hell with it. I'm doing this anyway.**

**Breaking away from the norm here. Yes, this one stars the Brotherhood (most of my stuff does), but there's been a change... it's actually (somewhat) serious. This is the beginning of a new series. You can take this as the next step in the Perpetually Screwed series, though it's not exactly a sequel or a spinoff. Perpetually Screwed was an anthology of Brotherhood stories that shared a very loose continuity, so it would be somewhat impossible to make a real sequel to it. So, if you haven't read any of it, don't worry. It's not at all necessary. **

**But, there's a bonus! I've been trying to finish this thing for a long, long time. So I waited until it was actually finished before publishing. Rather than have you wait weeks between installments... I'm posting all chapters at once. So find a comfortable spot to sit, grab your favorite drink and maybe a tasty snack, and enjoy. Think of it as one of those two-hour premiere movies that some shows have these days. Oh, and excuse the grammar. **

**Also, excuse the long prologue. It doesn't play a huge role in the story, but it does set up a few things for future installments. If you start getting bored with it (it's rather humorless), skip ahead.**

Though Bayville was established sometime in the early-to-mid 1800's, the Xavier Estate hadn't been built until the town saw an economic boom during the 1920's. The mansion and grounds were further expanded by Dr. Brian Xavier, and inherited by his son Charles- who had made some additions of his own.

"I don't see anything," Erik Magnus Lehnsherr noted, standing in the courtyard of the Xavier Estate. Wearing a gray suit with a violet tie, the tall, white-haired Erik carried his coat in his arms. Though youthful in appearance, his face looked like it had seen years of bitterness, always looking like it could turn into a scowl at the slightest provocation- like now, as he looked out onto the empty, green estate, seeing nothing but trees and the same two-story mansion he had visited week after week for the last few years.

"That's the idea," the bald Charles Xavier said, standing next to Erik with a black suit and a tan blazer, his equal in height. Carrying himself with the air of a university scholar, Charles managed to seem professional, despite his more jovial personality. "It's all underground, away from any unwanted eyes."

"A wise choice," Erik commented wryly. "But how will your brother react to these renovations?"

"In all fairness, the estate belongs to me, and I have every right to do this," Charles replied. "The mansion itself won't be changed, not cosmetically at least. I'm only making some additions, which for the most part will be hidden. But still, I'm going to install some additional security here. Ever since our father's passing, he's been resentful that so much was bequeathed to me."

"If one of you was to get the estate, it had to have been someone worthy of it," Erik commented. Cain Marko, Charles' half-brother, had resented what he thought was a preference for Charles from their father- so much that he legally changed his last name from Xavier to Marko, his mother's maiden name. Cain was also a normal human, something Erik took into account when speaking of him, though he never mentioned his bias to Charles.

Of course, Charles and Erik were both human- but a new kind of human: mutants, born with extraordinary powers, for reasons unknown. Both realized that the mutant population- which humanity at large was unaware of- was growing at an alarming rate. Charles intended to have a secret facility beneath his mansion where he could help young, emerging mutants hone their skills- away from eyes that, Erik strongly believed, would never accept them.

"Now now, Magnus, when Cain returns, he is more than welcome to stay here. Anyway, we've been out here long enough. Let me show you what's running so far."

--------------------

2nd Lieutenant Cain Marko, a rugged commando with the United States military, trudged through a cave in Kuwait with two other soldiers. They'd been there for hours, ordered into the cave by Colonel Chaffee to scout out a hunch he had about the cave being used by the Iraqis as a temporary lab to develop new weapons. It had already been speculated that the caves were abandoned, if they had been used at all, so only scouts were sent in. The Iraqi government denied any such weapons, and Chaffee suspected that they were telling the truth. Regardless, it was something his superiors wanted checked.

"I tell you," one of Marko's grunts commented, "I don't really buy this idea of the Iraqis having these weird chemical weapons. There could be an ambush outside and we're sitting here looking for Frankenstein's lab."

"I think Chaffee said something about uranium or something," the other responded. "Should we be going in here alone?"

"Shut up," Marko growled. He was a large man, partially because of well-developed muscle, but also due to some excess flab, particularly around his waist. Marko had little patience for, well, pretty much anything. "This isn't going on record. He's not gonna report anything to Washington if we don't find anything. Now shut up and keep your damn eyes open." They found a fork in the cave system. "Both of you, go that way."

"You're gonna go alone?"

"There's three of us and two tunnels, you moron, one of us has to go alone." Marko started down his tunnel before the others could protest further. He proceeded for several yards, guided by the flashlight mounted on his helmet, until he noticed that there was a red glow coming from the other side of the tunnel. Switching his flashlight off, he continued.

At the end was a small room, reinforced with rough plates of steel, with all sorts of lab equipment thrown about- broken monitors, several strewn wires, everything except actual test tubes. Whoever had been there had left in a hurry. There was only one real item left that wasn't completely trashed; a red gem lay in the corner, crudely cut to about the size of Marko's nose, bright enough to light the room, connected by wires to a small machine (itself turn on its side nearby) that looked like it had been made from a gas-powered generator. The gem produced a low, buzzing sound like a bee caught in a bug zapper and refusing to die. Curious, Marko approached it.

Big mistake.

Upon crossing an infrared line at the room's entrance, small explosives mounted on the ceiling detonated. Chunks of loose rock began to fall on Marko and the entire cave began to rumble. He ran for the exit, but the tunnel had already begun to cave in- he had failed to notice that small charges were mounted on the ceiling of the tunnel, and now detonated. He guessed that his grunts were probably going to be killed as well, wherever they were. All that mattered, though, was that he found a way out.

In desperation, he tried to dig through the rock pile, pushing rocks out of the way, but found it useless. The crude metal plates on the wall began to fall off and more chunks of the loose ceiling fell. Within moments, Marko was buried under weight no man could withstand.

He was lucky, then, that whoever had been using this cave had left the red gem behind.

--------------------

After the tour of Charles's subterranean facilities (which had actually been far less complete than Erik had been led to believe), Erik and Charles retreated to the study to sip bourbon. A favorite haunt of the two, the library contained Charles's extensive collection of books, many of them first-editions sought out by Brian Xavier and later Charles himself. Charles claimed to have read each one at least twice; something Erik didn't doubt at all.

The greatest exhibit in the study, however, was a hidden computer Charles called Cerebro. Designed by Charles and built with the aid of Erik, the computer, though still very crude and full of bugs and glitches, would be capable of expanding Charles's telepathic abilities greatly, allowing him to detect mutants across the world. But for now, it was still unfinished, little more than a computer console at the far end of the room, far from the powerful device it would eventually become.

"The mutant population will grow exponentially, if the current trend keeps up," Charles explained. "The generation before us had very few mutants. Our generation is already showing signs of increased mutant growth. Even without the aid of the new computer, our combined efforts have allowed us to identify twenty-five."

"And the next generation will only grow stronger," Erik said. "Though, it may be a few years before you gather enough students to justify this school. Your plans for this school of yours are admirable, Charles," Erik confessed, "But your students will eventually realize the truth."

"What you believe isn't a truth, it's an estimation, Magnus," Charles countered. "I want to teach them to co-exist with normal humans. When we reveal ourselves to the world, I want it to be as friends, not as monsters."

"That won't be your choice to make, nor mine." Erik took a sip. "You can't honestly expect them to treat us as equals. When they discover us, they _will_ treat us like monsters. They'll fear us, they'll envy us, and they'll hate us. You should use this school to protect young mutants, not to teach them childish dreams."

"Is it childish to want peace, Magnus?"

"No, just to expect it. The wildman you rescued in Canada, you saw how his handlers treated him."

"His name is Logan, Magnus, but to be fair, he was behaving like an animal," Charles conceded, "I think anyone would react the same way to a man brandishing six knives, external or otherwise. The others I've found have so far been able to blend in more easily."

"Only by hiding their powers," Erik noted. "Who would accept young Ororo when she could bring rain any time it suits her mood? Or Sean, if he ever allowed himself to speak at a more comfortable tone?"

"You can't expect them to simply go out and use their powers irresponsibly," Charles said. "They've learned restraint, and that is what will show the world that they can live with us. Any over-muscled bodybuilder could break a normal man in half, but he isn't feared because everyone trusts that this strongman knows better than to do that."

"Yes, but strongmen don't read minds. You know that even I feel a little uneasy in your presence sometimes, Charles."

"But you have no reason to fear me, because you know that I wouldn't do anything to your mind without your consent."

"I do. But will the world at large accept you based on your word alone? You're too intelligent to chase this pipe dream, Charles. Over the last month you've suddenly been pouring your fortune into this. Have you thought this through? I certainly hope that you're not using this project as a distraction from your divorce."

"You know very well that the reality of mutants has been important to me since before I even met Gabrielle," Charles snapped. "Now, I have the freedom, the resources, and the drive to set this plan into motion. I feel the divorce may have been a blessing in disguise. I couldn't have been nearly as devoted to this dream if I had been tied down with a family. Not that having children was ever a hindrance to you."

The room was silent. For a moment, Erik just stared at the floor, not sure how to react to Charles's sudden outburst of sarcasm.

"I'm sorry," Charles said finally. "I didn't-"

"No, I shouldn't have brought it up," Erik said dryly. He stood up. "It's late. Maybe we've both had too much to drink. I should be going anyway." Erik took his coat and hat from the rack near the door. "I'll stop by sometime during the week to give you a hand with the computer."

"Yes, thank you, Magnus," Charles said somberly as Erik closed the door behind him. He leaned forward, refilled his glass, and leaned back in his chair, exhaling.

--------------------

Erik returned to his own home in New York, not far from Bayville, located in a wooded area just outside the city. Though not as large as Charles's mansion, Erik's own home, lined with its own metal fence, was still a mark of his wealth. Erik pulled his black luxury car into the driveway, the metal gates opening by themselves. Leaving the car at the front steps, Erik walked in through the front door.

"Welcome home, Mr. Maximoff," the housemaid Emily greeted him by his assumed alias. An older, portly woman with graying blond hair, Emily had been hired primarily to watch after Erik's children, a task he had little patience for. "The twins are both asleep."

"Good," Erik said coldly. "I'll be in my office."

"Mr. Maximoff, I don't mean to trouble you, but... some strange things have been happening in the nursery. Sometimes... they start moving on their own... one of the windows cracked, and the door handle just... well, it just fell apart today." Emily held up the broken door knob pieces. "I can't explain it."

Erik looked down at the pieces in her hands. "Tell me, were either of the children awake when you saw these things happen?"

"No... well, not really, no. Wanda... she was fidgeting a bit, though. Like she was having a nightmare." Curious, Erik walked down the corridor. Moments later, Erik and Emily were in the nursery, where Erik's twin children, Pietro and Wanda, both three years old, were sound asleep. Pietro was dressed in green and had brown hair, while the raven-haired Wanda was dressed in red. Erik looked at the cracked window, and noticed that the bars on Wanda's crib were slightly warped- a difficult feat, as wood usually cracked.

Without hesitation, Erik picked his daughter up, holding her out. Immediately awakened, Wanda began to cry.

"Oh, now what did you go and do that for?" Emily lamented, but soon realized what Erik had wanted- the ceiling fan slowly began to spin on its own. As Emily stepped back, she saw a crack appear in the ceiling. The drawers to the children's dressers all began to open.

Bewildered, Emily ran for the door, but it closed before she could reach it- quickly, and deliberately. Emily put her hand through the hole where the doorknob used to go, but the door refused to move. Erik turned to her and placed Wanda in Emily's arms.

"Calm her down. It should stop then." Emily hesitated for a moment, but soon began to rock Wanda in her arms nervously, making soft shushing noises until Wanda settled down. The room seemed to return back to its normal, motionless state. Amazingly, young Pietro had slept through the whole thing.

"But... I don't understand..."

"Of course not," Erik scoffed. "Don't bother yourself over this. Just make sure Wanda is sleeping well." Erik waved his hand towards the door, but it didn't move. His eyes widened for a moment, and he tried again, a small amount of alarm rushing into him. Then, he remembered the doorknob was missing. Instead, he focused on the metal hinges, and the door swung open. Erik sighed in relief and exited; Emily was too busy with Wanda to have noticed anything. "I'll be in my office."

Upstairs, Magneto entered his stately office, modeled with Victorian furniture, though he insisted that everything have metal plating on it somewhere. The chairs had metal plates at the bottom of their legs, as did his desk. Erik waved his hands and the metal rings in the drapes slid together, closing them and blocking the tall window. Erik walked over to a globe next to his desk, and with a flick of his fingers the globe split in half, revealing a hollow space where Erik hid a red-and-violet helmet in a Grecian design. He beckoned, and the helmet flew into his hands.

Upon placing it on his head, he was Magneto, master of magnetism, a man with noble ideas for the future of mutantkind. A panel on his desk opened to reveal a small, spherical device, just as Magneto pulled a violet cape over his shoulder, concealing himself beneath it, except for his masked head. Three lights on the device flashed in unison and a holographic image appeared.

It was Mystique, an associate of Magneto, a beautiful but tough woman with blue skin and red hair, dressed in a revealing white outfit adorned with miniature golden skulls. Much like Erik himself, she seemed to bear several years on her face, despite her apparent youth.

"Magneto," she regarded him cautiously.

"Mystique, you haven't reported to me in a week. What are you doing?" Magneto commanded.

"The adoption papers are complete. We ran into a few difficulties, but I sorted them out. I've managed to gain legal custody of the girl," Mystique reported with a tinge of sadness she was clearly trying to hide from Magneto.

"You will be too busy to care for a child," Magneto told her. "Have Irene take care of her. Has she had any other visions?"

"None relevant to our cause," Mystique informed him. "No sign yet of what powers Wyngarde's boy will have, or any further visions on the Summers family... but there was one..." Mystique paused as if regretting that she had mentioned it.

"Tell me," Magneto demanded. Mystique took a breath, and continued.

"Irene saw a boy... she said the vision was cloudy, and she couldn't make out anything... except that the boy was related to Xavier..." Mystique hesitated.

"And?"

"...and he was with a girl. The two arrive at Xavier's mansion and... kill you both."

"Kill us?" Magneto asked with only a slight hint of alarm. "The girl. Who was she?"

"Irene couldn't tell. She had black hair, that's all she saw. Apparently, this happens too far into the future to see clearly. Irene has admitted that the farther into the future her visions take her, the less likely they are to happen."

"I agree, nothing to fret about," Magneto said. "Once everything is secure there, I want you to go to Paris. There's a lead there I'd like you to investigate. I'll contact you soon enough."

"Yes, sir." Mystique disappeared. Magneto took a seat at his desk, realizing who the girl in Irene's vision was. But he would deal with that when the time came; for now, there were other things that demanded his attention.

--------------------

Several days later, Erik again drove to Xavier's mansion in Bayville, only to find things out of place: the front gate had been torn open, the angel fountain in the courtyard had been smashed, and something had completely destroyed the front doors. Erik rushed into the house to see what had happened, finding a greater path of destruction inside. It wasn't a thorough ransacking of the house; most of the furniture was intact, except that closest to the stairs, which were also dented and banged. Something large had plowed through, determined to reach a specific goal. Erik raced up the stairs.

"Charles? Charles!"

He heard a crash to his left. Rushing to through the hall, Erik jumped over a fallen bookcase, which had apparently been thrown out of a large hole in the wall. Erik sensed something large and metal down the hall, making sudden movements. Instinctively, he raised his hand and used his control over magnetism to lift whatever the object was. It was fairly heavy, and struggling against his control.

Erik opened the door to Charles's office and finally saw what he was holding; a mammoth of a man, easily three times the size of a normal human, wearing rough red armor with a domed helmet. There was no doubt that this was a mutant, but not one Erik had ever seen before. Charles was battered, lying on his own smashed desk, wincing his eyes and trying to keep awake, despite his obvious agony.

"Charles, are you-"

"Helmet... remove his helmet..." Charles managed to say. All four latches across the behemoth's neck unsnapped and the helmet flew off. Charles weakly held a hand to his forehead and concentrated. It was only once his helmet had been removed that Erik finally recognized him; Cain Marko, Charles's bitter half-brother, somehow transformed into a human Juggernaut.

"Charles! What are you doing to me?!" the Juggernaut shouted. His shout turned into an incoherent scream as he forced his eyes closed and tried desperately to grab his head, but remained trapped in Magneto's hold. After a few intense moments, the Juggernaut went limp. Erik casually tossed the body aside with a loud thud and rushed to Charles.

"Charles, are you hurt?"

"I... Magnus... call an ambulance..."

"I'll take you to the hospital myself."

"No... don't move me..." Erik looked down at Charles's body, beaten and twisted, his back lying on top of the broken desk. Charles' arms shifted and his head was shaking, but his legs didn't move. Charles looked solemnly at Erik, already realizing the extent of his injury.

"Charles..."

"Just help me stay awake... until they arrive, Magnus. Help me... stay awake."

--------------------

After several months, Charles Xavier returned to his mansion, discharged from the hospital and ready to return to his work. Charles's goal of opening a school wasn't deterred in the least. If anything, it seemed he was even more motivated by his permanent injury.

Charles, now bound to a wheelchair, was carted into the study by Ororo Munroe, a teenaged African girl with white hair and an almost regal grace. She had recently left Kenya, where she had been revered as a goddess- though a local Hungan was happy to take her place when she was recruited by Xavier.

Charles was still adjusting to the change in his daily routine, and wore a silk robe instead of his usual suit. His face was covered by blond whiskers, not by choice but by neglect. Erik was already waiting in the study, looking at his friend with both respect and pity.

"Thank you, Ororo," Charles said.

"I'll be in the greenhouse if you need me, Professor," Ororo replied and left the room. Ororo, along with two others, had already been living in Charles's mansion when Juggernaut attacked. None of them had been home that day. Charles thought this fortunate: had any of them tried to stop the Juggernaut, they might have suffered worse than he had. As Cain Marko had gone AWOL during a mission, the military cooperated with Xavier in creating a prison that would contain him, located in North Carolina.

"It's been a long time," Erik told Charles as the two stared into the fire. "I'm still curious to know just how your brother acquired his abilities."

"I'm not so sure myself," Charles admitted. "I probed his mind when they first suspended him at the new prison in Stokes County. I don't think he really knows, either. He was buried alive with a red jewel of some kind, and somehow, it gave him superhuman strength. I did some tests, which were quite difficult, and the best theory I've come up with is that he had the X gene, like I do, but somehow it remained dormant."

"Interesting," Erik said, hiding the fact that he knew exactly what that red jewel was- and had even used it on himself earlier in his life. "Your brother is a model of mutant restraint, isn't he?"

"He is a special case," Charles said. "He was suddenly given power, and used it irresponsibly, an example I'd like to avoid. I'll admit, it was difficult keeping the local media away from him, and even more difficult finding a way to keep him contained. I only wish there had been another way."

"Mutants can't stay hidden much longer, Charles," Erik said. "I think it's time we reveal ourselves."

"Now? There's too few of us to make a difference."

"We should take advantage of the situation. We can't just wait until there are so many mutants the secrecy becomes useless."

"I agree, Magnus, but now is not the time. We'll have to wait until the next generation, I'm afraid, otherwise mutants will be such a minority that they may not warrant anything but paranoia. With proper education, the public will more readily accept us," Charles theorized.

"Assuming they will accept us at all."

--------------------

Walking down the street, young Hank McCoy held his letter jacket tightly around himself. He had caused his school's team to lose the football championship after he began to feel sick. Hank explained this to the coach and the team, but they still treated him as if he had lost the game on purpose.

Hank needed some fresh air; for some reason, he suddenly felt more comfortable outdoors. He walked through a city park in the late evening, carrying with him a copy of Shakespeare's Hamlet. When he was Bayville High's star player, nobody made fun of him for his taste in literature; now, he was suddenly a "girly nerd."

Hank opened the book with great ease, having somehow acquired the ability to turn to exact pages without the need of a bookmark. He no longer had to lick his thumb to turn a page; he was able to grip it just fine.

"It's a good play," Professor Charles Xavier said to him, rolling towards him in a motorized wheelchair, now dressed in a casual suit. The two large wheels were adorned with silver X's. "It's not often that you find a star football player reading Shakespeare of his own will."

"No, but I guess I'm just a little different," Hank replied sheepishly.

"I'm sorry, I'm Professor Charles Xavier," Xavier said to him. "I teach at the University."

"Hank McCoy," Hank said, shaking Xavier's hand. "University of Bayville, I presume? That's quite a school. I'd considered applying there."

"I'll be honest with you, Hank, I came here to see you." Hank's bushy eyebrows rose in surprise. "I know how strange that may sound but, I know that you are... different from other young men."

"Different?" Hank asked, curious but a little creeped. "I... I don't think I'm anything special..."

"Oh, but you are, Hank. You've probably noticed that you've grown stronger in your teenage years. Your hands and feet are a little larger than average, and you have no difficulty with dexterity."

"I... what? That's..." Hank was a little insulted that his large hands had been pointed out. "I don't know what you're..."

"Hank, I'm like you. I am also gifted with enhanced abilities, except in my case, they manifested in the form of mental abilities. We're mutants, born with extraordinary gifts, and we're becoming more common these days. There are mutants now with enhanced senses, with enhanced strength... even as far as control over the weather."

"I'm sorry," Hank laughed, "This is too much. I feel like I've wandered into a comic book."

"I understand that it is difficult to believe," Xavier said, directly into Hank's mind, eliciting a slight gasp. "But trust me, Hank, you are special."

"I... well, maybe you're right, maybe I have some genetic, uh, differences," Hank cautiously said. "But you're not just here to tell me that, are you?"

"No," Xavier admitted. "I'm opening a school here in Bayville for mutants. A place where they can learn to control their abilities, away from potential prejudice from those who might not understand, so that one day, we can reveal ourselves to the world at large, and coexist with them. I'd like you to join us."

"Oh, I'm afraid I'm just about done with school," Hank said. "But hearing this... so many questions. Why do we have these abilities? What's causing people like us to emerge?"

"Natural evolution," said another voice. Hank and Charles turned to see the armor-clad, masked figure of Magneto descend from the sky, violet cape billowing behind him. Wearing a black jumpsuit with red armor and his red-and-violet helmet, Magneto looked more like a conqueror than anything else. As if to flex his muscle and impress Hank, Magneto waved his hand and bent a nearby light post at a ninety degree angle, landing gently on it and using it almost as a pedestal. The spark inside the post died out, leaving Magneto in shadow.

"Magnus?" Xavier asked.

"I am Magneto," he said more to Hank than to Charles. "And I have control over all forms of magnetism. What Charles is offering is a nice idea, but we live in a much different world. Your so-called friends turned on you. Now your differences set you apart, and not just your mutant genes. Someone as bright as you must already understand that most people see anything different as freakish."

"This is true," Hank admitted. "Society isn't very fond of deviation."

"No, but one day, regular humans will see that we are not to be feared," Charles interjected.

"What mankind fears, he tramples," Magneto said bitterly. "I know from experience. We are the next step in human evolution. By definition, we are the beginnings of a superior race. Mankind will fear and hate you. You are a beautiful creature, and the rightful inheritor of this planet. Your only chance for survival is to strike at them, before they strike at you, and I assure you, _they will_."

"Hank, listen to me," Xavier urged, "It does not have to be a case of 'us versus them.' From australopithecus to homo habilis, from homo erectus to neanderthal and then to homo sapiens, we evolve and do not attack the heralds of our evolution. We can all live together, humans and mutants!"

"Don't be so foolish as to think that they won't persecute us once they learn more of our existence," Magneto told the confused Hank. "It _will_ come down to 'us versus them.' It's human nature. It's inevitable. All that's left is for you to decide which side you will be on."

"So it's between war and peace, is it?" Hank asked, looking back and forth between Magneto and Xavier. "I'm sorry, this is all fascinating, but it's all so sudden, I'm not sure I'm ready for all of this. I appreciate the offer, both of them, but I'm not really having any problems with my abilities. I just have a few social issues, that's all. Forgive me for not signing any contracts just yet, but I'd like to educate myself a little further before choosing any particular side."

"If that is your decision, I will respect it," Professor Xavier told him.

"As will I," Magneto added, not about to be outdone. "However, when you finally accept what you are, my offer will remain on the table."

"As will mine, Hank. Thank you for your time."

"Uh, my pleasure... gentlemen..." As Professor Xavier rolled away, Hank quietly shut his book and left at a brisk pace. Once Hank had left, Xavier turned to Magneto, who descended from his lamp post pedestal and landed next to the wheelchair-bound professor. Looking at him, Xavier felt that the Erik he knew was gone; or rather, the Erik he knew was a facade. Erik had never been entirely open about his past, but Xavier knew that it brought him great bitterness, and with it, cynicism. But he hadn't expected this.

"I see that you've finally given in to extremism... Magneto," Charles lamented. "I knew you leaned closer to that end than I did, but do you honestly want a war between humans and mutants? It's irrational. It's... it's..."

"Insane? I don't want a war, Charles. I'll admit, under ideal circumstances, I would follow your vision, but you live in ideals, Charles. I live in the real world, and this war is inevitable. I am taking steps to ensure our victory."

"And I am taking steps to ensure that this war doesn't happen," Charles told him.

"I've seen your facilities, Charles. If not an army, what _are_ you going to build?" Momentarily stunned, Charles didn't have time to reply before Magneto ascended to the sky and disappeared. Professor Xavier sighed and went along his way.

--------------------

"I have what I need," Magneto said to the holographic Mystique in his office. "Xavier shared his designs with me. Even without telepathic powers, it's only a matter of time before I can make my own mutant detector."

"That will certainly cut down on our travel expenses," Mystique said. "I haven't been able to find this mutant in Paris. I'm not so sure he's even alive anymore."

"It's possible, but I want you to check thoroughly before we abandon him."

"Yes, sir."

"I know that you have suffered much in my service, Mystique," Magneto said, adopting a slightly more sympathetic tone, though remaining very much cold and authoritative. "I assure you, once the war is over and I take my place as ruler of homo superior, you will be granted high status in the new order."

"Yes... thank you, sir," Mystique said tersely, barely hiding how insulted she was by his patronizing offer. Magneto shut off the hologram projector and left his office, leaving his cape and helmet behind.

As soon as he was out in the hallway, Wanda bumped into him. The little three-year-old girl fell on her bottom and looked up at her father.

"Wanda? What are you doing up at this hour?"

"I want water," Wanda said, in her slightly slurred baby voice.

"Where is Emily?"

"She's not saying," Wanda told him. Puzzled, Erik picked up the baby girl into his arms and walked over to the nursery. Emily the housekeeper sat in a corner of the room, huddled and shaking, staring at Wanda's crib with wide eyes. The crib had somehow rearranged itself into some kind of abstract sculpture, with bars pointing in multiple directions, as if someone had tried to put it back together without having the slightest clue as to what the end result was supposed to look like. Pietro sat up in his own normal crib, not particularly concerned with what was going on around him.

"What happened?" Erik asked.

"Her crib... it just came apart, and... and..." Magneto waved his hand, and the crib- lined with metal pieces here and there, like all furniture in his house- rearranged itself back into its normal configuration. He sat Wanda down inside. "What? How... how...?!"

"Get her a glass of water. Make sure she remains comfortable."

"What is... how?!"

"Nevermind. Get her a glass of water." Emily remained frozen. "NOW!" Erik almost didn't register Emily running out of the nursery; he could swear she was a mutant, running at the speed she did. It wasn't the first time Emily had witnessed Magneto's power; he had almost forgotten, though, that he had an associate of his alter Emily's memory every time she did. He'd just have to call him over again. "You're becoming quite the little troublemaker," Erik said to Wanda, almost playfully. "Did you change your crib?"

"No," Wanda said, clearly not believing she was responsible. "I wake up and it was like that."

"I believe you," Erik said.

"I had a nightmare," Wanda confessed sheepishly. "A monster tried to eat me."

"It's alright," Erik told her with a smile. "Nightmares aren't real. You're safe."

"I'm thirsty," Wanda reminded him.

"Me too," Pietro added.

"You always copy me!" Wanda complained.

"Nuh-uh!!" The two erupted into a chain of "nuh-uh" and "uh-huh" as well as other words Erik couldn't make out. He tried to be patient with them, but that was never his strongest trait.

"Enough! Quiet, both of you!" Erik yelled. The two immediately fell silent, and then Erik had done it: they started crying. "Shh! Shh! I didn't... arrgh. Where is that woman?!"

"Oh, what happened now?" Emily asked nervously, entering with a glass of water.

"I yelled at them," Magneto said. "They wouldn't stop fighting."

"Er.. okay... well..." Emily was still shaken from having witnessed both Wanda and Erik's powers. She set down the glass of water, but it shattered, and the glass shards began to float and spin in a miniature whirlwind. The crack in the ceiling grew larger, and the windows exploded outward. The drawers opened again, and this time, all of the childrens clothes and toys began to float around, thrown about wildly. Emily looked at Erik, who clearly expected her to calm them down. Emily went to Wanda first, taking the young girl into her arms and rocking her. She then took Pietro, holding each of them in one arm against her chest. "It's okay, your father didn't mean it. He's sorry. Isn't that right, Mr. Maximoff?"

"Yes, I'm sorry," Erik said half-heartedly. The children calmed down. The room slowly returned to normal. Erik left Emily to deal with the children, storming out of the room.

He was beginning to think Wanda might be a problem.

--------------------

Erik's gloved hands firmly gripped the steering wheel of his black car. He looked in the rearview mirror; in the backseat sat his twin children Pietro and Wanda, now age seven. Both had grown into cute children; Pietro, whose hair had turned silver like his father's, wore a green hooded sweatshirt, and Wanda, with her dark hair flowing past her shoulders, wore a red sweater. It seemed that these colors had stuck.

Both were usually rambunctious, either playing or arguing, but rarely going without making trouble. Tonight, however, they were quiet. The only sound came from the windshield wipers, clearing out some of the light rain of the evening.

Wanda's powers had manifested early, but for a few years, they seemed to only flare up on rare occasions. But in the last few months, they had suddenly grown stronger. Too strong, Erik felt.

"Where are we going?" Pietro asked, finally. His son's curiosity bothered Erik.

"I told you," Erik repeated. "We're just going for a ride."

"Are we going anywhere special?" Wanda asked.

"Yes," Erik said to her. "We're going to look at a new house."

"Are we moving?" Pietro asked, half surprised, half excited. "We're moving to a new house?"

"You'll both have a new home soon," Erik said to them. They looked at each other in excitement, too innocent to suspect any hidden meaning in their father's words.

"Will it be as big as our old house?" Pietro asked. "Or bigger? Will it have more floors? Can I have two rooms this time?"

"We're here," Erik said, stopping the car. The kids looked out the window; across the street stood the largest house they'd ever seen- it looked more like a church than a house. The cathedral-like structure was both imposing and awe-inspiring. The kids unfastened their seatbelts and the car doors opened on their own. Knowing family protocol, the kids waited for Erik to step out first; afterwards, they both went outside and stood with him.

"This is our new house?" Wanda asked her father. He didn't answer, nor did he look at her. Erik just stood there, letting the rain splash against him. Wanda looked up at the new house. Curiously, the lights were already on. Even stranger, two men in yellow jackets came out from the front door.

"Who are they?" Pietro asked. Erik didn't answer.

"Mr. Maximoff," one of the men said, addressing Erik. "Is this her?" Erik nodded.

"W-what do they want with me?" Wanda asked, troubled that she had been singled out. The two men approached her, one standing to either side. "What are you doing?"

"This is your new home, Wanda," Erik said, looking down at his daughter. "I didn't want to do this, but you've left me no choice."

"...Father?" Wanda whispered. The men seized her. Despite her small size, she gave them a fight. If her struggling wasn't enough, the rain appeared to be changing direction. Small holes began to appear in the road.

"Don't let her use her hands," Erik said to the men. The men forced Wanda's arms around her. Despite her struggle, her arms were pinned against her, and she found moving her hands difficult. Completely helpless, Wanda could only hope that she could kick free, but it was no use. The men were already carrying her away.

Pietro, horrified, looked up at his father. Erik held out his hand to stop him before he could try anything.

"This is her fate, not yours," Erik told his son. Pietro looked at his sister, whose face was wet both with rain and tears. Their eyes locked for a moment. Pietro knew he had to do something. He wanted to push both of the men down and help his twin sister... but too afraid to disobey his father, Pietro did nothing. He only put his hands in his pockets and looked down, breaking away from Wanda's eyes.

"Father!" Wanda cried, now turning her attention to Erik. Erik stared right at her, his face showing no sign of emotion, no hint of sympathy for his own daughter. The shadows falling on his face created the image of a different man. It wasn't Erik Lehnsherr who had given Wanda away. It was Magneto.

"Father!" Wanda screamed again, trying in vain to break free from the powerful men. She was carried inside, and the door was closed behind her.

Outside, Magneto waved his hand, and the doors to the car opened. Pietro knew that it was time to go. They climbed in. Pietro kept his focus on the floor, trying his best to ignore his sister's cries through the window of the asylum. Magneto made no such gesture, keeping his gaze straight ahead. The black car rounded a corner and soon, Wanda and the asylum were just memories.

For several minutes, Pietro remained silent. He tried to fight back the tears that were escaping from his eyes and tried to keep his whimpers in the back of his throat.

"I didn't have a choice, Pietro," Magneto said in his stoic, commanding voice, with only the barest hint of sympathy. "She was too powerful, and too out of control. She was a threat to both of us."

"But..."

"It had to be this way." Magneto said nothing else for the duration of the drive. Pietro wondered if maybe his father was wrong, and there was another option. He also wondered if maybe he was going to be sent away as well.

Pietro's fears were not unfounded; less than a month later, he was also given away to a foster home in New York. With no children to distract him, Magneto was free to develop his plan for the future of the mutant race.

--------------------

Magneto's vision finally began to focus. His head was throbbing. His entire body ached. What had happened? He saw the blue sky above him, with white stars shooting down. What was he seeing?

Then he realized he was still in Mexico. He had come to challenge Apocalypse, and lost his life. But... how?

He remembered feeling an intense pain in his chest that spread outward, as if burning him alive- then a white flash, and nothing. Now, he was awake, alive, but disoriented and confused.

After a moment, images came to him. The tomb beneath the Sphinx, Apocalypse standing over him. Mystique was there, in a trance, and then Charles and Storm. They waited until Apocalypse commanded them to awaken and defend his pyramids. Magneto had returned to Mexico to destroy a group of Sentinels, and then he himself was attacked by the X-Men... and then...

Magneto's concentration returned, and he realized that his children, Pietro and Wanda, were kneeling next to him. They had come to fight him, aware that he was not himself. Now that he was awake, they were at his side, concerned for his well-being. Together, Wanda and Pietro helped their tired father to his feet. Despite everything he had done, they had still come for him.

'What a monster I've been,' was all Magneto could think as they led him to a waiting helicopter.

--------------------

Nearly a decade after Magneto had left Wanda and Pietro behind, Nick Fury stood alone in front of the ruling council of SHIELD, a group of five people with the highest security clearances. They sat side-by-side on a tall marble podium, the golden SHIELD emblem on the wall behind them. A spotlight was cast on Colonel Fury, and dim backlights projected behind the council revealed only faint details; silhouettes, really. Fury wasn't sure why they did this. He knew all of their names, and all of their faces. He imagined that perhaps they just loved to be theatrical. Despite their imposing appearance, Fury was not the least bit disturbed by them.

All except for the one in the center. The Director of SHIELD, the only man who could make Fury quiver. The Director himself was a very old man, and though his features weren't plainly visible in the shadow cast on his face, certain details could be made out- his hair was thin, but swept back. His face slightly drooping in his old age, but still friendly. Large glasses covered his eyes, and a thick moustache cover his upper lip. By all appearances, he was nothing more than an old bureaucrat, probably a likeable grandfather outside of SHIELD walls. But something about him always made Fury nervous. Maybe it was that very likeability. He was rarely irritable. He liked to tell tall tales with child-like enthusiasm, and tended to get excited by reports that included robots, superhumans, or unexplained phenomena. How could someone like that have risen to the highest rank? Fury long suspected that this was mostly a facade, an attempt by the Director to conceal his true skill and cunning.

"Face front," the Director ordered. Fury stepped forward slightly, hands at his side. He could see the shadow of the Director leafing through the physical report Fury had submitted. "Colonel Fury, as I understand it, Apocalypse has been stopped. Please go over the details for the rest of the council."

"Yes, sir," Fury began. "Earlier this year, a mutant named Mesmero began to gather items that somehow unlocked three doors, behind which was En Sabah Nur, who also called himself Apocalypse. His mutant powers allowed him to stay alive for three thousand years, though he was severely weakened until Mesmero arrived, bringing with him the X-Man Rogue. The full details are unknown to SHIELD, but they're irrelevant right now."

"I see," the Director replied, disappointed. "Then let's try to be prudent. Continue."

"The fact of that matter is, Apocalypse was loose. Using technology that our scientists are still trying to understand, he arrived in the Yucatan in Mexico. He destroyed a Mayan pyramid and revealed a new pyramid made from his own technology, likely hidden there thousands of years ago. He then proceeded to create a giant energy dome around the pyramid that repelled any force thrown at it. It was next to impossible to penetrate."

"An impenetrable force field!" the Director declared, slightly excited. "Continue."

"He went on to raise two more domes," Fury explained. "One in Xi'an, China. The other in Cairo, Egypt. Once he was ready, he raised the Sphinx to reveal a hidden base beneath it. After apparently 'merging' with his own technology..."

"An immortal mutant man, fused with technology beyond human comprehension!" the Director exclaimed. "Continue."

"...He set out to complete his plan," Fury continued. "As far as we've been able to tell, his plan was to use a device called the Eye of Ages to create an energy field, powered by the three pyramids and the Sphinx, that would activated the latent X-genes in the world's population. Most humans carrying the gene would've experienced sudden mutation. Those that didn't have it would've been guaranteed death."

"And how was he stopped?" the Director asked.

"Our original plan was, as you ordered," Fury said with a hint of contempt, "To send a fleet of Sentinels to fight Apocalypse. Their enhanced weaponry managed to destroy the domes, but the pyramids remained, and Apocalypse and his horsemen trashed the robots. With no other options, I turned to the X-Men for help."

"Which, under normal circumstances, we would like you to avoid," said one of the other council members, a woman with a raspy voice.

"Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have had to ask," Fury defended. "But they gathered their forces, brought in a few friends, and made four teams. Wolverine and I devised the strategy. Three teams would fight the horsemen and attempt to destroy one of the three pyramids, and a fourth team would infiltrate the Sphinx and try to bring down Apocalypse. The fourth team was mostly needed to hold off the remaining horseman, while Rogue entered Apocalypse's chamber. Using power she borrowed from Dorian Leech, she was able to cut off Apocalypse's power, thereby stopping his energy field."

"As excited as I am by this story, I have to say the ending is a bit disappointing," the Director admitted. "But excitement isn't the priority, and I am pleased that the plot was foiled. But what happened to Apocalypse?"

"He was sealed inside the Eye of Ages," Fury said, "According to Wolverine. Afterwards, he sabotaged the controls on a vessel containing the trapped Apocalypse, and it disappeared. We have no way of knowing where Apocalypse may have gone, but... well, it's in the report. And I have trouble buying it."

"...But he could be any place... or any time!" the Director shouted. "He could be trapped in prehistoric times, or whisked away to a future world none of us could imagine! Ahem. But, the point is, he has been stopped. You may have trouble believing the vessel could leave our time, but I do not. When you've attained my level of security and you've seen everything I've seen, trust me, you'll be a true believer, too!" The Director turned another page. His tone became a little more solemn. "Now... about the outcome."

"The we were able to avoid a complete catastrophe," Fury explained to the council, "There were losses. The Eye of Ages was active long enough to affect several millions of people around the world. Many of them saw their mutations emerge, a number we can't realistically estimate. Several were touched by the energy field, but not long enough to either mutate or die. They were they luckiest."

"And the casualties?"

"...Six million, estimated," Fury replied. "But if Apocalypse hadn't been stopped, that number would've been much higher."

"Agreed," the Director stated. "Though you breached SHIELD protocol by asking outsiders for help without orders, your actions have saved countless lives. In light of the emergence of millions of new mutants worldwide, and public knowledge about mutants, we feel it would be best to create a Department of Mutant Affairs within SHIELD. We are placing it under your supervision, Colonel Fury, and staffing it will be your responsibility."

"I can think of a few people," Fury smirked.

"Good. As for the Sentinels, they proved quite useful to us, but we won't be needing any more. In return for his services, we will be releasing Dr. Trask, though we will continue to monitor him until we feel he is no longer a threat. Naturally, he won't be informed that he will be monitored, nor will he be told the conditions of his probation, nor informed of the penalty for any violations. 'Nuff said."

"Anything else?" Fury asked.

"Yes," the Director stated. "There was a group of mutants that, as we understand it, had been asked by one of the X-Men to join them as part of the group of allies you commissioned, but refused the request. Later they changed their minds and found their own means to arrive in Mexico to face one of Apocalypse's horsemen. Colonel, we want you to keep an eye on this group. They have shown tremendous initiative and skill, and I feel they may be a great asset to us one day."

"Yes, sir," Fury responded, keeping to himself his misgivings about the group. Particularly their minimal contribution to the final battle.

"The council is satisfied that you have given an accurate report," the Director said. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like you to draw up a short list of those people you think would be good candidates for the Mutant Affairs department. Get back to us as soon as possible."

"Yes, sir," Colonel Fury saluted. He turned and left the spotlight, walking towards a door flanked by two armed guards.

"Oh, and Colonel Fury?" the Director called.

"Yes?" Fury asked, turning back around to face the Director.

"Excelsior!"

**End prologue. If you can guess who the Director is supposed to be... you got no points. It's too easy.**

**Some parts of the prologue were inspired by the first issue of the short-lived Evo comic. In fact, some lines in the Hank scene are lifted from it, almost word for word; this is because, although the Evo comic went in a different direction than the show (sometimes it felt like it was written by people who had the job forced on them and never actually watched an episode of the series), I felt the confrontation between Magneto and Xavier in the first issue was well done, if brief. **

**Now, we begin chapter 1... which takes place shortly after the end of season four.**


	2. Act 1: Perpetually Screwed

**Oh. You made it this far. From this point on, the story takes place just a few weeks after Ascension Part Two. Oh, and excuse the grammar. **

Thirteen years after the Juggernaut's attack, Professor Xavier's school flourished. Ororo Munroe, the "wild man" Logan and even the now ape-like Hank McCoy were now instructors at his school, called Storm, Wolverine and Beast. His first real students, Scott Summers and Jean Grey, had also joined the staff. Magneto had been partially right; Professor X was training his students for dangerous operations, but they were missions of peace and security. Xavier's X-Men were dispatched to help resolve any mutant-related incident across the country, sometimes across the world. The Hungan had unsuccessfully led Storm's tribe for three years before embarking on a decade-long search for her, which ended in his own defeat. Logan's own demons would periodically haunt the X-Men, though he had far from overcome them.

Magneto's own forces had also increased. He had a vast network of connections, giving him an array of underlings, even if his most loyal, Mystique, had since turned on him. Her last assignment was to pose as the principal of Bayville High- where Xavier's students attended classes as part of their training to blend in with society- to keep an eye on Xavier's students, as well as to recruit her own mutants from the emerging generation. She brought together the Brotherhood of Mutants, consisting of Lance Alvers, Fred Dukes, Todd Tolensky- respectively, Avalanche, Blob and Toad-, and even Magneto's own estranged son, Pietro Maximoff, who had developed the power of super speed.

Though Xavier's X-Men served him well, Magneto realized that his Brotherhood were more loyal to Mystique, who was in contact with them on a regular basis, as per Magneto's orders. On top of that, they weren't altogether competent. He created a new team, the Acolytes, which also included his son Pietro, who remained loyal but fearful. It was Magneto who forced mutants to reveal themselves; while on a mission in New York, the X-Men and the Brotherhood, betrayed by Pietro, faced a deadly mutant-hunting robot known as the Sentinel, which Magneto exposed to the public. The X-Men had no choice to defend themselves, and the public became aware that mutants lived among them. Just as Magneto predicted, their initial reaction was fear. Amid the paranoia, mutants came to affect public policy. Both the X-Men and the Brotherhood found it difficult to interact with others.

Magneto was ready to fight this war, but he found that Mystique, in her quest for vengeance against him, had recruited his daughter Wanda, rescuing her from the asylum. Following Mystique's disappearance, Wanda began a one-girl mission to find Magneto and make him pay for having locked her away. At first, Magneto wasn't particularly concerned, but he found that Wanda wasn't as easy to escape. He set a trap for her; Wanda thought she would confront and kill her father, but instead, Magneto abducted her, and forced his associate Mastermind to alter her memories. After being rescued, Wanda came to believe that Magneto had always been a loving father. Pietro, understanding his father's reasoning and equally fearful of Wanda's power, played along. Their housemate Toad was also in on the secret; but Pietro played on Toad's lust for Wanda and convinced him to keep his wide mouth shut.

Even after Wanda was neutralized, Magneto had another problem: Apocalypse. A new mutant- or rather, a very old mutant- threatened the world with his megalomaniacal plans. Magneto realized Apocalypse was a threat to both humans and mutants, but his ego wouldn't let him live with the idea of another mutant conqueror. He had to get rid of this potential rival. Magneto worked with Xavier and his X-Men to stop Apocalypse's release from his ancient prison, but failed.

With his ego bruised, Magneto became obsessed with finding and defeating Apocalypse. When the ancient mutant revealed himself, Magneto attacked him viciously, but it was useless. With a flick of his wrist, Apocalypse destroyed Magneto.

Well, not really. As it turned out, Magneto- along with Storm, Mystique and Professor Xavier, who were also presumed killed by Apocalypse- had been transported to Apocalypse's lair and brainwashed. The Four Horsemen would defend Apocalypse's outposts while their master prepared himself to cover the world in an energy field that would turn all humans into mutants.

Thanks to the combined efforts of the X-Men, the Brotherhood, and various allies of the two, as well as the secret government organization SHIELD, Apocalypse was defeated (though it was technically Rogue- Mystique's daughter- and Wolverine who had defeated Apocalypse himself). Pietro and Wanda helped their awakened father to his feet, despite all he had done to them. In that moment, for the first time in years, Magneto felt guilt and regret. This was the start of a new chapter for Magneto.

...But you already know all that.

The Apocalypse Crisis changed the public's view of mutants, both for better and for worse. Six-hundred Chinese citizens were killed when the Chinese government attempted to attack on of Apocalypse's domes in the Shaanxi province. When Apocalypse's 'Eye of Ages' was activated, the entire planet was covered in an energy field that affected the human population, activating latent mutants genes in the population. Though Apocalypse was stopped before this could be carried out, the energy field was designed to kill those whose bodies did not carry the X gene, effectively cleansing the population. Though the field was not active long enough to kill its intended number, nearly six million people across the planet were killed or seriously incapacitated. Though Apocalypse was defeated and less than one-percent of the world's population was affected, reactions to both Apocalypse and humanity's saviors were mixed.

On one hand, the X-Men were seen as heroes by many for having prevented what would have been the single greatest catastrophe in history. On the other hand, Apocalypse himself, as well as his horsemen, were seen as perfect examples of why mutants could not be trusted. Some thought that maybe the mutants had staged it all, and it wasn't an unpopular theory. In light of this, several things have changed.

Edward Kelly's advocacy for mutant control won him the mayoral election in Bayville.

After the Apocalypse Crisis, SHIELD became public knowledge, though like the CIA, most of the public has no real knowledge of the organization's history or form of operation. The public remained mostly unaware that SHIELD had existed since the 1960's, or that it had dealt with superhuman affairs since before Apocalypse arrived- they believed SHIELD was a recent creation, forced to reveal themselves early due to the sudden emergency. Still, SHIELD maintained its habit of secrecy, and any individuals affiliated with SHIELD tend to deny their involvement for security reasons. Bolivar Trask, creator of the Sentinels and former SHIELD operative, was given a severely reduced sentence in exchange for his help in creating the new generation of mutant-hunting robots to fight Apocalypse.

With the increasing mutant population around the world, Professor Xavier had been contacted by parents around the world to accept their mutant children at his school. Professor Xavier publicly stated that his facilities were too small for such a massive amount of students. As a result, he now planned to expand and to create a second, larger campus. Already, public interest groups and private philanthropists were offering to help pay for this new campus, as well as protest groups... uh, protesting. Due to Xavier and the X-Men's continued presence in Bayville, the town attracted the attention of mutants fleeing persecution in their own cities. In addition, the X-Men's public image increased tourism in Bayville, and an economic boom forced Mayor Kelly to shelf his plans for mutant control and change his stance from "anti-mutant" to "tolerant but critical." He's got his eye on you, Charlie.

Bayville's population, while not totally accepting of mutants, see the X-Men as heroes and "a credit to their race." The Morlocks, still persecuted by the human population, have attempted more surface-visits, but have been met with continued violence and prejudice. This has only made them more cynical and more tightly-knit as a group. Morlock vigilante activities have increased, leading to greater paranoia against mutants.

But, what about the Brotherhood? Well, when have things ever been fun for them? Let's check in on them and laugh at their ironic positions in life.

--------------------

"FATHER!"

Rain poured against the pavement, showering the overgrown grass on the front lawn. The roof was splattered by it, produced a steady rhythm as if dozens of little people were dancing overhead. The sound had been soothing to those who slept under the roof, but now that they were all awake, they realized how loud and annoying it was. Worse, it seemed the house was shaking. The doors were opening and closing by themselves.

Lance jumped out of his bed and threw his door open, or tried to, but it slapped him back. He practically punched it and pushed through. As he stepped into the hall, a sudden and violent breeze rushed past him. Further down, Fred was trotting after Pietro, still rubbing his eyes but looking concerned, and Todd bounded over his shoulder, kicking off the wall and hopping away from the larger, slower teen.

Pietro ran into Wanda's room and was at her bedside before she could even register the door opening. Suddenly, everything returned to normal. Wanda sat up, grabbing her forehead with both hands and covered with a thin layer of sweat. She threw off her covers and revealed her red silk nightgown. Pietro took a notebook from her dresser and began to fan her with the speed of a hummingbird's wings. Moments later, Todd jumped in, followed by Lance and Fred.

"She alright? How is she? Is she hurt?" Todd asked frantically.

"It was just a bad dream," Pietro assured both Wanda and the others. "Are you okay now, sis?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Wanda said, out of breath. "It was just... it was a weird dream. You were in it..."

"Me?" Pietro asked incredulously. "What are you including me in your nightmares for?"

"I don't know. It was raining, and you were there, but... we were still kids. Father was there too, with a black car. Then these men took me, and I called out for you, but you and father didn't come for me. And then I woke up."

"Is that all?" Lance scoffed. "Some nightmare."

"Well it scared me. I don't know. I guess you had to have seen it yourself. It's fine now, guys." Wanda wiped some sweat on her forehead, and in a lower voice, added, "Thanks."

"Try to get some more sleep," Pietro reassured her. "If you need anything, you know where I am." Pietro closed the door behind him after the others had left. Lance and Fred both went straight back to their rooms and Todd was about to do the same, but Pietro stopped him. He pulled him aside, away from Wanda's door. "You better not get any ideas, Toad."

"Wha? What ideas?" Todd wondered.

"That wasn't a dream," Pietro explained. "That really happened. The day Magneto locked her up. Her memories might be coming back to her. We might not be able to do anything about it, but you need to be careful what you say around her now. Don't bring up anything that might make her remember her past. Got it?"

"It looks like she's rememberin' it on her own, I don't-"

"We'll stall it as long as we're able to. If she remembers, she'll go after Magneto, but first, she'll get rid of us. Do you understand? Good. Now get some sleep."

"Yeah," Todd muttered, imagining Wanda's wrath. "Sleep."

--------------------

**Brotherhood Five**

**"The Invisible Cell"**

**King of the Worthless**

--------------------

**Act 1, Chapter 1- Perpetually Screwed**

Life at the Brotherhood of Bayville Boarding House hadn't changed very much since the little thing with Apocalypse. In fact, nothing had changed. Big, simple Fred Dukes sat in the kitchen, fixing one of his usual sub sandwiches from whatever was available. Skinny, metrosexual Pietro Maximoff lounged in the living room, rapidly cycling through the broken television's fantastic selection of five channels (seven if you count the fuzzy ones). Slimy, sardonic Todd Tolensky hopped down the dilapidated stairway, snagging one of the flies gathering around a junk heap in the foyer. Introverted, temperamental Wanda Maximoff sat on her bed with her bedroom door closed, writing angsty poetry.

Rugged, conflicted Lance Alvers, meanwhile, waited on the front steps outside, talking on a mobile phone. It wasn't because Lance wanted special privacy; it was because the others had forced him to go outside because they were tired of overhearing his fascinating conversations.

"HOW COME YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO ACCUSE ME?! You gotta go? Bye, baby!"

As if anyone would doubt who Lance was talking to, it was of course Kitty Pryde. Since they'd gotten back together after Apocalypse's, uh, party, they'd steadily grown closer until the point where their conversations no longer made any sense to anyone but them. The Brotherhood had tolerated the relationship when the drama of being on opposite sides caused tension between Lance and Kitty, but now the real tension was missing. Their relationship had always been full of fights, arguments and threats, but now that all seemed irritating to the others, almost as if they argued for the sake of arguing.

"Y'know th' nice thing about that?" Todd remarked to Pietro as he looked out the window. Pietro only replied with a bored 'mmm.' Todd continued, "Lance and Kitty are in their own little world. Nobody else exists to them. So all this crap th' rest of us are dealin' with doesn't exist as far as they're concerned. Must be nice."

"Toad, if I ever end up with a woman who argues with me on the phone for two hours a day and considers it romantic, you have my permission to kill me."

"Heh, if you end up with a woman at all," Todd muttered.

"Hey, I heard that!" Pietro turned back to the television, but found that his show had been mysteriously replaced by static. "Argh. The reception on this thing's just getting worse. It's like we're living in an airfield. Hey, do we have enough saved up for a new TV yet?"

"Nah, you spent most of our savings on fuckin' tight pants."

"There's some commodities I just can't do without, Toad." Pietro ran up to the television set and banged on it. "Look at that! I can't even tell if that's a man or a woman!"

"Not like it matters."

"You know, I am getting very tired of your little innuendos." Pietro banged on the television set again. "Keep in mind who's in charge of this household, and who's job it is to make sure this team runs smoothly. Can anyone else do that the way I can? Who else is as capable? Lancy-poo? Blob? I think not. So you'd better hold that wicked tongue you've suddenly developed or you'll get it."

"I heard my name, what's going on?" Fred asked, wiping his mouth with his forearm.

"Aw, he's on one of his leader tangents again." Todd jumped over to the television set and slammed his head against it. The image fragments came together to reveal a man in his early 70's with light gray hair and small glasses, sitting at a desk. "Alright! It's gotta be a new mutant power of mine."

"...free from the threat of mutant supremacy," the old man droned on.

"Great, you fix the TV and all we have to watch is another anti-mutant PSA," Pietro complained.

"See? This is what I'm talkin' about," Toad said, jumped over to one of the chairs and standing with a foot on each armrest, almost as if using it as a soapbox. "We help save th' world from Apocalypse and look what we come home to? More paranoia. It's like everyone just ignored th' fact that this mega mutant was stopped BY mutants! They act like SHIELD did th' whole thing, and now that SHIELD's public, they're fuckin' heroes and we still can't even buy groceries without someone dissin' us! When's it our turn to be heroes?"

"When we join the X-Men," Pietro droned. "Why is it that the only mutants that got any publicity were those geeks? Yeah, one of theirs got Apocalypse, but c'mon, we took on _Magneto_. And we didn't lose a single member. By the end of it, the X-Men had, what, three team members left to fight? You know what I call that? I call it journalistic bias. We're not getting any attention because the X-Men have all the photogenic members and all we have is me. Did you know they offered Jean a Playboy shoot? Can you believe that?"

"We didn't even get a 'thank you,'" Fred added. "Hey, why'd she turn that down, anyway?"

"'Cuz she's a prude," Todd said. "Miss goody-goody's too good to show her goodies. You know, that ain't fair either. How come a geek like Summers gets to hit that and I gotta settle for my right hand?" Todd's comment was followed by silence. "Okay, yeah, I ain't a babe magnet, but Summers is a douchebag!"

"Know what I heard?" Pietro said. "Scott and Jean haven't even gotten that far yet. They're taking it slow. They're barely even holding hands in public."

"Don't you dorks have anything better to do than talk about other people's lives?" Wanda asked, leaning against the frame of the living room doorway. "Honestly, you're like a bunch of gossipy old women."

"And so her highness graces us with her presence," Pietro announced with a mock bow. "So, sis, what brings you out of your self-imposed isolation?"

"I'm going out," she replied, avoiding Pietro's eyes.

"Where to?" Pietro asked.

"Out. Is that a problem?" she said, now looking directly at him.

"I'd just like to know where you are," Pietro said. "I'm your brother, you know."

"I'm going to catch a bus to Boston and talk to Agatha Harkness," Wanda explained. Pietro raised an eyebrow. "Maybe she can tell me what those dreams mean."

"Dreams are dreams!" Pietro said quickly. "They're always weird and abstract. Agatha's probably just going to give you some weird interpretation about it. It's all Freudian anyway."

"Maybe, but I'll feel better once I've talked to her about it." Wanda was about to leave when something on the television caught her eye. She took the remote control from Pietro and turned up the volume on the television. They were in the middle of a point/counterpoint discussion, and one that Wanda was especially interested in.

"...not backed by any real evidence because you don't want to accept the idea that Magneto has reformed. He's spent the last month in counseling sessions with Professor Xavier, with his children, with-"

"That's not the point," the other debater countered. "The problem is- and I don't think you want to see this- the problem is that Magneto was a known terrorist. There is substantial documentation of-"

"Yes, yes, intent, but we've seen very little actual damage on Magneto's part, and he can't be held accountable for the incident in Mexi-"

"I'm sorry, but I just don't buy that 'mind control' pseodoscience. And there is more than enough proof that Magneto was planning something big before he was sidetracked, for whatever motive, by the Apocalypse crisis, or perhaps, he was in league with Apocalypse-"

"I haven't seen this. Even if this 'big plan' was real, it doesn't matter now because Magneto's not the same perso-"

"It appears we're out of time," the moderator said, "Thank you both for joining us. Tomorrow-" Wanda turned the television off. For several weeks, Magneto had been the subject of countless news stories following his sudden decision to join the staff of the Xavier Institute. Originally, this was nothing special, until reports of Magneto's terrorist past came to light (the Brotherhood suspected Mystique was behind that). Many felt a terrorist shouldn't be allowed to join the X-Men, nevermind that it was a private institution and who they hired wasn't anyone's business. Some even felt that the X-Men's acceptance of Magneto only proved that they themselves were mutant terrorists.

"It doesn't make any sense to me," Wanda fumed. "I know his past is a little sketchy, but why can't they give him a second chance?"

"Well, it's 'cuz-" Pietro quickly banged Toad on the head. "AAargh!"

"Keep your smartass comments to yourself, Toad," Pietro covered. He ran to Wanda and put his hand on her shoulder, almost startling her with his speed. "Don't worry about it. We know the truth, right? And that's what matters. C'mon, the X-Men have accepted him. It can't be long before the public does, too. Hey, this has been stressful on all of us. What do you guys say we go out and get a burger?"

"I... guess that sounds okay," Wanda agreed.

"Chester's!" Fred yelled, suddenly interested in the conversation. The others glared at him. "What? I haven't been there in weeks!"

--------------------

Magneto stood in the Danger Room control center before the lined-up New Mutants, as the were sometimes called, consisting of Berserker, Magma, Cannonball, Sunspot, Jubilee (who had been allowed back into the Institute), Multiple, and Colossus, an oddity among the New Mutants in that he was not only much older than the others, but much larger, nearly twice the height of young Multiple. Following the release of his family, Professor Xavier agreed to help maintain them, but Piotr Rasputin had insisted on supporting his family. They came to a compromise; Piotr Rasputin would be the first salaried member of the X-Men (not counting instructors), though there was little room for envy as all of the money he earned was sent straight to his family while he enjoyed free room and board at the Institute. Even though he had much experience thanks dubiously to Magneto, he still needed some time to adjust to his new team, so he was taking a crash course and sitting in on a few classes with the New Mutants. He, like the others, still had to get used to Magneto's presence, but Colossus was willing to deal with it. The same couldn't be said for everyone else- Wolverine had angrily left the mansion in protest, and the X-Men hadn't heard from him since.

Magneto walked before them, glancing down at them. Though he was missing his helmet, his grim face still provided considerable intimidation to his teenaged students. He inspected them, watching their posture, their reactions to him, even the amount of sweat on their forehead. At the end was Colossus, wearing the standard trainee uniform and looking straight ahead. Magneto moved until Colossus was forced to make eye contact with him.

"Have you had much training as an X-Man, Colossus?" Magneto asked.

"I have learned much," Colossus replied with a very formal tone.

"Have you been able to apply any past experience to this job?"

"I have not."

"Do you trust your team?"

"With my life."

"Do you trust your instructors?"

"Mostly."

"Do you expect me to give you any special treatment?" Magneto asked coldly.

"I do not."

"Good. I have no grudge against any of you, but neither do I have favorites, and I never will. I will reshape all of you into more fitting specimens. From this point on, you're mine." Magneto saw Multiple gulp from the corner of his eye. "Your first exercise will be a test of your abilities. Your mutant powers will aid you, but your wits and reflexes will be the deciding point. Not all of you will pass this test, but you will have other opportunities to prove yourselves. I'm sure your previous instructors have explained my methods to you. No doubt, you've been trained to defeat simulations of me. You'll know that I prefer to work with metal. The only instruments and equipment you will find in my exercises will be metal. You will not have the safety of plastic or rubber. I'm sure you're eager to see what you'll be up against. Behold."

The New Mutants looked out of the windows of the control room and saw several metal orbs floating around them.

"The game is catch." The New Mutants were puzzled. "You will team up with a partner and practice throwing the ball back and forth, but you can only use your powers. I see the group is uneven. Colossus, you will be paired with me. You have your assignment. Now, go and prove yourselves."

"Can we have fun?" Berserker asked audaciously.

"That's up to you," Magneto replied with a hint of a smile.

--------------------

"I can't wait until I'm 21," Todd announced after taking a sip of his soda at a local casual burger shop. The menu offered alcoholic beverages, but Todd hadn't managed to convince the staff that he was old enough, despite several attempts with several poorly-forged ID cards. Fred had a hamburger in each hand, sitting on the same side of the booth as Todd (who was actually perched on the table itself), while the Maximoff twins shared a basket of fries. They'd asked Lance to join them, but he said he had plans. Fred tossed a fry into the air and Todd snagged it with his whip-like tongue. "Being drunk is so cool."

"I'm sure it is," Wanda droned. "You have beer at home. What's so exciting about it?"

"Lance and Pietro won't let me have any."

"Because you're a mean drunk," Pietro said. He looked around and saw that more than a few restaurant patrons were looking their way. Some looked away when they realized he had been spotted. "We're gonna have to get used to this."

"Who cares what they think?" Wanda said. "They're all ignorant morons anyway." Todd stole a fry from her basket. "Do you always have to do that?!"

"Yeah."

"FREAK!" a teenager in a varsity letter jacket yelled from a both across the shop. He sat with two others, also dressed in jackets, as well as four pretty girls wearing skimpy clothing. Probably cheerleaders. Todd flicked his tongue in their direction. The head jock stood up and started walking towards them, followed by his two goons. "You got a problem with me, frogface?"

"Yeah, he does, and if you got a problem with him," Fred stood up, crossing his arms and revealing his full size. "Then I got a problem with you."

"We're not here to start anything," Wanda said to the jocks, motioning for Fred to sit down. "Just leave us alone. We don't want to hurt you." Fred remained on his feet, crossing his mammoth arms over his chest.

"Hear that, boys? She says she can hurt us! C'mon, girly, show us what you've got!"

"Oh, you're asking for it!" Just as Wanda stood up, the manager approached them. "Break it up," he said, standing between Wanda, Fred, and the jocks. "You kids, go back to your booth." The lead jock snorted, eyed the mutants for a moment, then left back to his table. The manager then turned to the Brotherhood. "I've been getting some complaints from my customers, and I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"For what?!" Pietro complained. "They were the ones who came to us!"

"They're not entirely comfortable having... uh... people of your talents around."

"Listen," Fred told him, cutting off Pietro before he could even say anything. "We paid for our food and we're minding our own business. If you didn't want us here, you shouldn't have let us in."

"I don't have any problem with you, but I'd like to avoid any trouble."

"We're not here to start trouble," Wanda said with a barely restrained tone of frustration.

"It's not you I'm worried about. It's everyone else." The four mutants looked around the shop and saw that several customers were giving them rude glances. Some again turned away quickly when the mutants looked back, but most were at least brave enough to keep their eyes fixed on the freaks.

"Let's go," Pietro said, standing up and leading his team out of the burger shop. Fred and Todd in particular gave the other customers venomous glares as they left.

They walked down the street in silence for several minutes before Fred suddenly punched a news rack, sending several newspapers flying in disarray. "Uh, temper tantrum, Blob?" Pietro asked.

"I'm just tired of that! We go somewhere to eat so we can get out of the house, we mind our own business, and they still won't leave us alone!"

"Whoa, calm down, Freddy," Todd said. "Ain't the first time, ain't the last time." He began to scoop up some of the quarters that spilled out.

"But I'm just so tired of it! You guys are right! We help save the world and nobody cares about us! Are we just gonna be trash for the rest of our lives?"

"Speaking of garbage," Wanda said, picking up a newspaper from the abused stand. There was an article on mutant bullying in high schools in one of the back sections. Wanda hadn't actually gone to high school, but she had gotten her GED after Apocalypse's hoe-down, which was more than could be said for the rest of the Brotherhood. "Can you believe this? They're not reporting on prejudice against mutants, they're reporting about mutant bullies."

"Journalistic bias," Pietro reminded her. "But let's be fair, we were in that business, too."

"Yeah," Fred lamented. "I guess what goes around comes around, huh? It's carmen."

"It's what?" Wanda asked, dumbfounded.

"Carmen. You know, like when you do something bad, and then something bad happens to you."

"That's karma," Wanda corrected him. "It gets worse. Two school districts in Texas have already banned mutants from attending classes. They're lobbying for a state-wide law against mutants in the classroom, and the worst part is that it's a popular idea. You know the irony of this? Father's changed his philosophy while his old one is being proven right."

--------------------

The New Mutants had all stopped their 'catch' exercise, which was rough with metal balls, but they agreed that it was more fun than they had expected from Magneto. Cannonball's hair was still standing on end thanks to an electrified ball from Berserker. Magma had managed to melt three balls before she was eliminated by a disorienting team-pass from Multiple. Sunspot and Jubilee did nothing of interest. Though the younger students were done, they watched in awe as the two most experience participants continued their own miniature duel.

Magneto caught a larger ball with a wave of his left hand and let it pass behind him, gaining momentum and appearing again on his right side and flying right into the hands of the steel-clad Colossus, who pulled back and hurled it like a shotput. The match had continued as such with each opponent throwing the ball with greater strength and speed. Magneto had even taken the molten metal from Magma's botched match and added it to their own ball, increasing its mass. The students didn't really know much about the history between the two men, but were amazed that both were able to spar so efficiently. The only way one could defeat the other was either by cheating or by having the match interrupted.

"Time for dinner, guys," Nightcrawler announced from the control room. The New Mutants left the Danger Room, chatting among themselves, but the match between Magneto and Colossus continued. Nightcrawler rolled his eyes and teleported down into the room, catching the metal ball as Magneto threw it and flying with it until Colossus caught him and set him back down. Nightcrawler was a little winded, but otherwise okay. At least, he thought so. "Ah... okay. The session is over," he said after a minute of catching his breath. "You can leave now."

"Yes," Colossus said. He walked to Magneto and held out his hand. In a very rigid, formal tone he said, "It was a good game. You were a worthy opponent."

"Yes, likewise," Magneto replied in an equally rigid tone, quickly shaking Colossus's hand. "We'll have to settle it one day."

"One day, we will settle it."

--------------------

Lance Alvers had the house to himself, and he didn't waste the opportunity. Kitty Pryde was over, and almost from the moment she arrived, they had spent the evening making out on the ratty couch.

Wait, wait, this is pretty fast, isn't it?

It was no secret that Lance and Kitty had grown much closer since Apocalype's shindig. While the Brotherhood had gone from teasing Lance to trying their hardest to ignore him when he was in "Pretty Kitty" mode, the X-Men had a more complex stance on the relationship: the officially tolerated it, but in reality, nobody felt that Lance deserved Kitty.

"Kitty, I need to know something," Lance said with Kitty on top of him. "Do you love me?"

"I..." Kitty wasn't sure if she wanted to use a word as strong as 'love.' But she replied, "I think so, Lance."

"Because I love you," Lance whispered to her. "And I'm not just saying that. When I'm with you... I feel whole. There's nothing else in the world, except you, me, and the beating of our hearts."

"Did you get that from a movie or a cereal box?" Kitty giggled.

"Maybe I'm not very poetic, but I'm sincere about it. You mean so much to me." Lance held the back of her head gently and closed his eyes as their lips met. She was soft, and smooth. Not like sand. Why would you even compare them? "I was thinking," Lance whispered. "I want you to know just how much I love you. I need you, Kitty."

"No. It's too soon," Kitty said, already understanding what he wanted. "I really like you, Lance. But I don't think it's time yet."

"I understand. I don't want to pressure you." But Lance's initial instinct had been just the opposite. Part of him wanted to throw her onto the ground and show her what she'd been missing, what he'd longed for since they began dating. He wouldn't do it against her will, of course, but he felt that maybe if he was more assertive, she'd agree. But he quickly came to his senses, and even felt a bit of guilt. "We can still make out, right?"

"Of course."

"No, that's not th' point," said the unmistakable voice of Todd Tolensky as he kicked the front door open. "I'm just sayin', it's a cheap sci-fi flick and that's all it is."

"But you're missing the point!" Wanda argued. "It's just thinly-disguised propaganda for a fake religion. On top of that, it wasn't even a good movie!" Wanda, Todd, Fred and Pietro noticed that they had interrupted Lance and Kitty's happy time. "Uh, hi."

"Hi, guys," Kitty said, blushing. "Uh, I should get going."

"I'll call you," Lance said to Kitty on her way out. She walked past the leering Brotherhood boys and phased out the door. "What the fuck, you guys?! You said you'd be out later!"

"Yeah, but we got kicked out of Chester's," Pietro explained, "So we walked home. We started talking about mutant prejudice and somehow the conversation evolved into discussing that John Travolta movie that none of us have actually seen."

"Kicked out?" Lance asked.

"Yeah, the owner got complaints about us, so we had to leave."

"Did Toad and Fred play burger frisbee again?"

"Nah. Mutant prejudice. Try to keep up, would you?"

"If they don't like us, well fuck them," Lance told him.

"Nevermind that, I'm curious as to how far you went with our feminine feline friend," Pietro said suggestively, shifting his eyebrows and leaning close to Lance.

"I didn't make any progress, if that's what you're saying," Lance said, pushing Pietro away. "I wasn't gonna pressure her. When she's ready, we'll do it."

"At least you have the maturity to do that," Wanda remarked. The others hadn't realized that she was still in the room. If they'd continued the conversation unchecked, she'd probably have started accusing them of objectifying women and then one or two of them would be hexed. "I don't get men. Why are most of you sex-crazed lunatics?"

"It's a biological thing," Todd answered. "See, your instincts tell us we gotta reproduce, and since th' female is th' one who does all th' hard work, she ain't gonna be so motivated to do it, so nature chooses th' male to-"

"Here he goes with his theories again!" Pietro yelled. "When did you become the resident nerd, anyway? Nevermind. I don't even care anymore. Only a virgin would give this lecture on biology."

"Yeah, I'm a virgin. I admit it. I ain't got some macho need to prove anythin' to anyone." Toad's gaze turned to Wanda, but she quickly said, "No. Don't say anything."

"Well that's a relief. Thought I was the only one," Fred sighed. "No offense though, buddy, but we kinda already figured that."

"With this face? I can have any woman I want!" Todd bragged, grinning with his yellow teeth for further effect.

"Well I think it's obvious that cherry is the preferred flavor in this household," Pietro scoffed. "I fixed my problem a long time ago."

"Was it a man or a woman?" Todd asked.

"Dammit, Toad-"

"I ain't jokin'. Was it a man or a woman?"

"That's a ridiculous question." Pietro looked at Lance and Fred, who weren't laughing either. Even Wanda was interested in his response. "I mean, what else would it be?"

"Stop dodging the question," Fred insisted.

"Well, what difference does it make?"

"You can fuck whoever you want," Wanda said, trying to sound indifferent. But even she could barely hide that she had also wanted to know the answer to this riddle. Despite being siblings, his sexual preference was something Pietro had never mentioned to her. "Maybe you don't feel comfortable talking about it. That's fine, we won't discuss it. The guys will agree not to make fun of you. RIGHT?"

"Right," they droned in unison.

"If you can't trust us, then who can you trust?" she added.

"Well... okay." Pietro took a deep breath. Wanda had a point. On top of that, Pietro had always sought their loyalty, and more subtly, their obedience. If he wanted them to respect and follow him, he could at least be honest with them. He took a deep breath, paused, and revealed, "It was a girl."

The members of the Brotherhood looked around, exchanging looks as if not entirely sure what to think.

"...And then a guy."

"Oh. It's like that," Fred said. "Uh, did you try one and then the other, or-"

"I tried them both and liked it," Pietro said, sitting down and clutching his forehead. "So yeah. I go both ways. I mean, there's nothing wrong with that. Right?"

There was a moment of stunned silence before the males in the room added quick, nervous "No!" and "Not at all!" and "That's fine!" and so on. "Wait, you're not like... into any of us, are you?" Lance asked cautiously.

"No, no! No. I'm more into guys like me."

"Makes sense," Wanda noted. "You're your own perfect man."

"Can you blame me? But enough about me. Toad and Fred we KNOW are still fresh. What about YOU, Lance? Are you saving yourself for Kitty, or-"

"I lost it before I even met her," Lance admitted. "Wasn't too good, really. I saw her again a few times at school, but it didn't go anywhere. I think we both just went too fast."

"So that's why you're not pressuring Kitty," Pietro said.

"No. Well, maybe. I don't know. I really like Kitty. I know this is gonna sound corny and lame, but I don't just want sex. I want to make love. Last time there wasn't any emotion involved." Lance paused. "And before any of you fuckers say anything, no, that doesn't mean I'm a softie now. No fucking way."

"Suuuuure," Fred teased.

"Hold up, hold up," Pietro yelled. "We've all been honest. How about you, Wanda?"

"What?!" she gasped. "I don't have to talk about anything. It's not polite to ask a girl that!"

"Well who are you going to talk about it to, your girlfriends?"

"Just because I don't have very many friends doesn't mean I have to discuss it with you." She marched up the stairs and closed her bedroom door behind her.

"So, was that a yes or a no?" Lance asked.

"Whoa, whoa," Todd interrupted. "She said she didn't want to talk about it. Respect her privacy, foo." After a few moments of silence, Fred asked, "So, you guys wanna play Madden?"

And so ended a typical conversation at the Brotherhood house.

--------------------

In a vortex of white clouds, the ghostly images of several people walked about, looking at unseen objects, talking to unseen people, and walking in unseen places. None were aware of the situation; to them, life was perfectly normal. Then, a man turned bright red. Another woman turned red as she shot a beam of energy from her hand. A young boy turned red as rocks began to form on his torso. All of them were mutants, the use of their powers triggering their change in hue. As soon as they stopped, they returned to a ghostly white. There were so many that, in the distance, several of these ghosts grouped together formed clouds of light. Hints of red could be seen within them, going off and on at random intervals.

But none of them were important.

Professor Charles Xavier stood among this setting, looking at the faces of these people, his attention drawn whenever he saw a red flash. He closed his eyes and the world around him moved at the speed of light, hundreds of thousands of ghostly people whirling past him.

But Xavier was not looking for any of them.

Exhausted, Professor Xavier set down the Cerebro helmet. Seated at the console in his wheelchair, Xavier changed the settings in the main computer, leaving Cerebro to actively search through pre-assigned files. Heavily upgraded from its first design, Cerebro was so complex that it now had to be house in a large, spherical room, with a bridge to the center allowing Xavier to focus his brain patterns equally in all directions. In the astral plane, Xavier was free to move as he pleased, but in the real world, he was confined to his motorized wheelchair.

"Professor," Jean Grey said, entering the room. "Any luck?"

"None," Xavier said to him. "I think David's telepathic abilities are now strong enough to counter Cerebro's enhancements." Lucas was the identity assumed by David Haller, Xavier's estranged son from a failed marriage. David himself had developed telepathic abilities like his father- but unfortunately, they had splintered his mind, creating separate personalities that magnified David's own traits. David had grown up not knowing his father; his mother only told him that he had abandoned them before David was born. But following an accidental telepathic reading of his mother, Gabrielle, he learned that the famous Charles Xavier was his father. Not knowing that Charles was unaware that he had a son, David began to feel great resentment for his father, and his school. Actually, David only subconsciously held these feelings. But his powers magnified them, giving birth to Lucas, a splinter personality that amplified David's rage, bitterness, and thirst for revenge against a father who was never there for him.

Lucas, however, was also aware of the situation. He had even lured Xavier to him and tricked his father into sealing away all of David's other personalities, including David himself. Now, only Lucas remained, and he was still at large. No longer distracted by the threat of Apocalypse, Xavier had spent weeks searching for his lost son, hoping to find him and attempt a reconciliation, or heaven forbid, stop him from wreaking havoc.

But so far, he had found no trace of David, or Lucas.

"Don't worry, Professor," Jean assured him. "If anyone can find him, you can."

"I hope so," Charles told his student. "But every day, I grow more worried. If this 'Lucas' persona is in control, I can only imagine what he has planned. If he wants revenge, he hasn't revealed himself. What is he waiting for?"

"I don't know, Professor. But whatever your decision, you have our support."

"Yes, I can always count on the X-Men," Xavier said with a smile.

--------------------

The following day, the Brotherhood had a surprise. Well, two of them, anyway.

The day had started out like any other; Fred and Todd watching cartoons in the living room, Pietro spending an unhealthy amount of time checking himself in the bathroom mirror, Lance just waking up and heading for the kitchen with a yawn and Wanda trying to find something to do.

"Yo, wait, so if he's a koala, why's he got the hots for a penguin?" Todd asked.

"It's a cartoon," Fred replied. Wanda wandered in, wondering what was being watched.

"Is he arguing cross-species romance again?" she groaned. The doorbell rang.

"Someone at the door," Fred said to her without looking away from the television. She rolled her eyes and opened the door, expecting another salesman.

"Father?"

Magneto stood at the door, dressed not in his trademark red armor, but wearing a gray suit with a black coat. "Hello. I... thought I'd pay you a visit. I can visit my children, can't I?" he asked, noting her perplexed expression.

"Yes, but you never come here."

"I tried to avoid this house whenever I could. Your housemates have always made..." Magneto stopped. Several floorboards were missing. Someone had smashed a rotten apple against the wall. There was red paint reading "AWSOME." One E. Several incomplete insurance forms were littered on the stairway. Was that... cheese? "They'd better clean this house if they expect me to come inside. Toad! Blob!"

"It's the boss!" Fred yelled. He ran out to the foyer, followed by the hopping Todd. They stood at either side of Wanda, standing straight and ready to accept orders, contrasting Wanda's slouched stance and crossed arms.

"Clean this place up. I don't want a single trace of filth in my presence."

"Father, stop bossing my friends around," Wanda protesting like a typical teenage girl. "So, you want something to drink?"

"Do you have anything sanitary? I don't believe you do. Until someone cleans this house, I'm not going farther than the door."

"You want to clean it for us?" Fred asked.

"No. That's why I have you. Where is Pietro? I thought he had ordered you to clean this house."

"Father, you're embarrassing me," Wanda muttered. Fred and Todd shrugged and returned to the living room. Lance followed them from the kitchen, giving Magneto an almost sarcastic courtesy wave but not actually bothering to look at him. "We were sort of thinking about cleaning it up."

"Why you and Pietro insist on staying here, I'll never understand."

"Hey, it's home," Pietro replied, descending the staircase. "So... are you here for anything in particular, or...?"

"No. Just a visit. I was telling your sister that you should-"

"Clean the house? We do. Nightly! But Toad just keeps ruining it." Pietro glanced to the living room. Todd's only reaction was lifting a single finger. "So, let's take this outside, shall we?"

Father, son and daughter went outside, where instead of looking at the hideously neglected state of the house interior, they had to look at the worn house exterior as well as the overgrown grass, littered with candy wrappers, more unfinished insurance forms, and some broken pencils.

"You don't have to live here anymore," Magneto said. "You-"

"No, we've heard this one," Pietro said. "Now that you're with Xavier, you want to offer us a place there, right? No. Not a chance."

"And why not? What possible advantage is there to living here?" Magneto asked.

"Don't get me wrong, I'd love to live in a big mansion with all this high-tech junk inside, but not at the cost of my freedom."

"I don't think either of us is X-Men material," Wanda added.

"That's what makes the Institute an ideal place for you," Magneto explained. "There's no standard. I was never X-Men material, but Charles has accepted me as an instructor, and the students are growing used to me. If they can accept me, they can learn to accept you."

"But we'd have to actually join," Wanda noted. "I'm not very fond of that idea."

"You deserve better than this filth. Especially you, Wanda. After all I've done to you." Pietro gave Magneto a worried glance, wondering where he was going with this. "All of my life, I've struggled to depend only on myself, and when I was in need, you came to my rescue, despite all that I've put you through. I don't want you to live in an old house with common thugs. I want you and your brother to be closer to me."

"Actually, I'm fine here," Wanda said to him. "Anyway, we'll probably get to cleaning the house. RIGHT, PIETRO?" Pietro smiled and nodded. "But you're still free to visit anytime."

"Yes, thank you." Magneto remained there until Pietro and Wanda had returned to the house. "Toad. Come down."

Todd wasn't too surprised that he had been spotted on the roof of the house. He was more surprised that Magneto hadn't done anything about his eavesdropping until after is children had left. Todd gulped and jumped off the corner of the roof, landing near some beaten garbage cans and hopping to Magneto. "Uh, you wanted to see me?"

"Why were you spying on us?" Magneto asked pointedly.

"I wasn't spyin', I just... I was listenin' in. We common thugs got dignity too, you know."

"I have a job for you," Magneto ordered, ignoring him. "Find Mastermind. You'll know where to look. Tell him to undo it."

"What? You sure about it?" Todd actually couldn't think of an instance where Magneto had trusted him with such a task. In fact, he couldn't remember an instance where Magneto had given him a direct order of any kind; they had usually come through Mystique or Pietro, and a few times through Gambit. Why would big, powerful Magneto ask small, weak Toad to do this? Could Todd earn his favor with this? Todd didn't want respect; he craved it. He'd gone too long pretending he didn't need anyone's validation, pretending that the opinions of others didn't matter to him. It wasn't hard to see why a frog-faced mutant like him had low self-esteem. And now, one of the greatest- maybe even THE greatest- mutants on the planet both in power and reputation was asking him, directly, to do something for him. And something important, at that.

But there was something else to consider: Wanda. Toad was loyal to all members of the Brotherhood, even Pietro, but he was especially loyal to Wanda. Part of it was because of his love- no, lust for her. The part of him that refused to admit what he had always known, that Wanda would never be his. But more importantly, part of it was because he genuinely cared about her. Combined, these two elements could form the basis of love, but Toad didn't love Wanda. Pietro had convinced him to keep Wanda's secret by appealing to his lust for her, but he knew that it was wrong. He'd buried that thought deep inside so that he could keep her close and ogle her, but the other side of him was beginning to grow a friendship with her, one not impeded by lust, or by any misguided romantic feelings.

"My daughter deserves to know the truth. If nothing else, it'll ease the burden on my shoulders. Do this one task for me, Toad. You will be well rewarded."

Todd knew exactly what reversing Mastermind's alteration would do. Wanda would remember everything. She would realize that her friends had kept it from her. She would become angry and vengeful again, and Toad would be her first victim. It dawned on him that Magneto had asked him to do this not because he trusted Toad, but because he was wholly expendable to Magneto. Better to place small, weak Toad in Wanda's immediate line of fire than risk having her come against big, powerful Magneto. But it didn't matter whether it was right for Magneto, or right for Toad.

"You got it."

**TO BE CONTINUED!**

**Now, time for in-jokes.**

**Pietro's sexuality: originally, a running joke in Perpetually Screwed was the ambiguous nature of Pietro's sexuality, often manifesting as comments or actions on Pietro's part that could be taken the wrong way (and Pietro was usually unaware of this). Here, Toad plays it up a little (normally, the guys apparently had an unspoken, unwritten, unmentioned agreement never to bring it up, assuming they noticed at all), but I decided to officially end the gag with Pietro admitting he's more or less bisexual. **

_**"It's the boss!"**_** is a very obscure one that most of you won't find funny even if I explain it. A long time ago, when the Brotherhood hadn't become popular yet and the common depiction was still "gang of dumb thugs", someone wrote a fanfiction in which... I can't remember what it was about. There was a scene where the Brotherhood and Mystique met in her office and Magneto made a surprise visit. Blob then uttered that phrase- apparently his only line in the entire story. Don't ask me why, but I thought it was hilarious.**


	3. Act 1: The Turning Point

**The story continues. Oh, and excuse the grammar.**

**Act 1, Chapter 2- The Turning Point**

Lance leaned against the side of his jeep in a parking lot later in the evening, putting a cigarette in his mouth. It was a recent habit, and one he wasn't even sure why he had. He just decided to start smoking, and that was his story. Pietro and Wanda were both very clear that he wasn't allowed to smoke in the house, and Pietro had complained that even when he smoked outside, the smell would still filter through the walls. In order to avoid Pietro's bitching, Lance just drove away from the house, found the most empty parking lot he could find, and lit up.

Except he was out of matches.

"Fuck me," Lance growled. The car lighter for the jeep had been stolen the first month he had it, and never bothered to replace it because until then, he didn't need it.

"Need a light?" asked a voice with an Australian accent.

"...You better not be who I think you are." Lance turned around to see John Allerdyce standing on the other side of the jeep, out of his orange uniform, but still wearing a psychopathic smile on his face. He was wearing a pair of torn jeans, a loose faded black t-shirt with several tears in it, and a blue baseball cap hiding his fire-like mane. "What do you want?"

"I was in the neighborhood," Allerdyce explained in his usual nonchalant, almost humored tone. He walked around so that he was on the same side of the jeep as Lance "So you want a light or not, mate?"

"Yeah, sure." Allerdyce revealed that he'd been holding a metal lighter in his right hand with a stylized shark face painted on it. With a flick of his wrist that would've surprised even Pietro, he opened the cap, produced a flame, and created an airborne trail leading from the lighter to Lance's cigarette. "All set."

"Yeah, thanks," Lance muttered. He took a long, slow drag, letting it warm his lungs, and exhaled. "I'd heard you were in Australia."

"Nothing ever happens there," Allerdyce replied, playing with the cap of his lighter. It seemed like he always needed to be doing something to occupy his attention, like an overgrown child. Without so much as a farewell, Allerdyce walked away, still flicking the lighter cap, moving in the general direction of a shopping center.

Lance shrugged to himself. If Pyro was going to blow up Circuit City or Barnes and Noble, it wasn't Lance's job to stop him.

--------------------

"So, what exactly is it you're lookin' for?" Todd asked Wanda as the mutant teens walked into Barnes and Noble around ten at night. Lance had run off to smoke, Fred was asleep in front of the television and Pietro was trying to pry the remote from under him. Wanda said she was going out, and Todd volunteered to go with her.

"Anything interesting. I don't know. I just wanted to get out of the house," Wanda replied.

"Well... did we need to come here? 'Cuz this place sort of gives me th' creeps."

"Oh course it does, it's actually clean." Todd resisted his natural urge to hop alongside Wanda and instead shuffled with a slight slouch, keeping his hands in his pockets. The store had a built-in Starbucks... that couldn't be good. There were a few high school-aged yuppies sitting there. "Now where's the fantasy section?"

"Hell if I know," Todd replied, looking at the wallet half-sticking out of the pocket of an older gentlemen in the self-help section.

"None of that," Wanda said, catching his hand before he could act. In reply, he stuck his green tongue out at her. "There it is. The horror section's right next to it, too."

Wanda would never openly admit it, but she didn't hate Toad. In fact, she liked him, when he wasn't thinking with his penis. She wouldn't consider him a genius... well, maybe she would. Academically, Toad was completely inept, but from time to time she had seen a spark of the rough intelligence hiding beneath his more casual facade, like he was too concerned with looking cool to show anyone how smart he was. Not that it did him any good, but that was part of his appeal. He was geeky, and in his own weird way, he was sort of cool, if only for the brief moment before one realized that he never bathed.

"What could they have here that ain't already in your collection?" Todd asked as he followed her over. "I mean, this is th' place you go to for overpriced atmosphere, not th' content." While Wanda browsed, Todd took a book from the opposite shelf at random. "Look at this." The title read 'Sword of Cinziarzh'. "Sin...cee...ar...ash? How do you even pronounce that? Look at th' author, Nathaniel Prattley. Who th' fuck has a name like that?"

"...Someone whose parents named Nathaniel," Wanda droned. "Hey, I don't have this one."

"Aria of Sorrow," Todd read from the cover, which feature some sort of long-haired, handsome, though slightly feminine prince with a black cloak and a rapier, standing below a castle with the moon shining behind it. It induced a slight shudder in Todd. "By Renard Belmont. He's your favorite, ain't he?"

"I think he's good. He balances his narrative elements pretty well."

"Or do you just buy th' books for the prettyboy on th' cover?" Todd nudged.

"Of course not!" Wanda looked at the cover. "I mean, that's not to say I don't... well, they're good books. I think even you'd like them. They're under fantasy, but they're more like escapist horror."

"What makes you think I'd be into that?" Todd asked, almost laughing.

"If you'd actually look inside, you'd see that it's more like classical horror. You know, vampires, werewolves. But there's a touch of romanticism that almost makes you feel like it's your adventure. Maybe you're not the most eloquent, or mature, or-"

"Yeah, yeah..."

Wanda took a deep breath, hoping to whatever higher power that Toad didn't take her compliments the wrong way. "...But you're pretty smart. You're a decent reader. Every time we watch a movie, you're always breaking the plot and characters down, I figure you'll like something that lends itself to that."

"Okay. Get me started when we get back to th' house," Todd told her. He sniffed the air for a moment. "Is it me, or does this place smell like gasol-" In an instant, the entire front portion of the store was gone. Wood, glass and dozens of books fueled the dancing flames, twisting upwards and spiraling until they created several snake-like heads that darted out and snapped at the running customers.

"Yeah! YEAH!" Allerdyce yelled. The fiery Hydra turned in all directions, narrowly missing innocents, until one of the heads landed a direct strike on a young man, setting his jacket on fire. Allerdyce responded to the scene with his trademark cackle, then jumped over the fire into the bookstore itself. He summoned the fires to jump and spread to the shelves, furthering the reach of his inferno, until a bright red beam slammed him into the wall.

Scott Summers had been browsing Circuit City for some reason and heard the explosion. He had already traded his sunglasses for a more practical visor and stood several feet from Allerdyce with his finger on the release switch.

"It's over, Pyro," Scott announced. "I'm turning you over to the police."

"Not likely," Allerdyce hissed. He stood up and waved his hands, but suddenly, a pillar of concrete rose from the ground, blocking and smothering the fire-snakes as they tried to attack Scott. Both looked back in surprise- Lance had arrived.

"Can't even watch your own back, Summers, some hero," Lance taunted.

"Uh, thanks, Lance."

"Take off, I'll take care of him."

"You? You're just as likely to join him," Scott accused.

"You think I'd have anything to do with a maniac like him? Fuck you, Summers, where do you get off talking to people like that? You think just because Pyro and I don't like nancy boys like you that we're in this together? Well fuck that!" Lance threw his fist down as if punching someone's knees and a ripple on the carpet became a wave, throwing Scott against one of the intact bookshelves.

Allerdyce grinned and waved his hands again. Two snake-heads pulled away from the group and each found a separate target. From his... uh, seat on the fallen bookshelf, Scott loosed two optic blasts in rapid succession, each piercing through the snakes and dispersing the flames to the point that they lost strength and disappeared.

"This is NOT the time, Alvers."

"When we're done with Pyro, then!" Lance gave Scott a hand up and the two faced the now pouting Allerdyce.

But elsewhere in the store, Todd Tolensky sailed over bookshelves, carrying an unconscious Wanda in his arms. With the front entrance block, people had begun to escape through the back exit, pushing and shoving to get away from the evil fire. Todd jumped over the crowd of lemmings and landed harshly on the shoulders of a man who had just pushed the door open and used him as a jumping post to fly through the exit.

Todd eventually made his way to the loading area behind the store, where several people were running and screaming, again. He jumped over one of the loading ramps and gently set Wanda down, propping her against the cement wall behind a stairwell. There was a bruise on her head, but otherwise she was alright. Todd was spared the same injury only be his initial cowardly instincts- the moment he heard the explosion, he jumped backwards in shock and surprise, landing on a larger man two aisles behind him. One of the falling shelves had hit Wanda and he had struggled to push it off of her, or at least hold it up long enough to pull her to freedom.

Todd looked at her, and realized that he had never really seen Wanda in such a vulnerable state. She was powerless now, and delicate; soft, and beautiful...

But he snapped out of his admiration quickly. Wanda needed help. And then it hit him- this was his opportunity. He wouldn't have her in this position again. He had to take advantage.

He knew where to find Mastermind. He could get there quickly. He scooped Wanda in his arms and hopped on.

...What did you think he was thinking about?

--------------------

The Velocity, the X-Men's signature helicopter-jet-thing, was parked right outside the smoldered bookstore along with several police cars and two fire trucks, as well as three ambulances, early the following morning. While the police handcuffed Allerdyce and gathered evidence (including an empty gas can), Scott and Lance walked to the heli-jeticopterchopperwagig, covered in soot, scratches, bruises and a few minor burns.

Scott was met by Jean Grey, wearing her X-Man uniform, who took his visor off, wiped some of the soot off his face, and placed his favorite ruby-quartz glasses on him. Scott smiled and kissed her before she led him into the chopperjet... thing.

Beast and Storm were also there to help assess damage, or something. But Lance lit up when he saw that Kitty Pryde had also arrived. When on-duty, she was Shadowcat, and she had the same X-Man uniform she'd worn since joining, except that she had neglected to wear the yellow belt. Lance looked her up and down. Her figure was definitely improving, and it was no wonder she'd kept off the distracting, clunky belt. Lance reached for her, holding her at the waist and pushing her close, her hands pressed against his chest as they shared a warm, passionate kiss.

Followed by the mother of all slaps.

"What is WRONG with you?!" Shadowcat yelled. "You ran into that fire just to fight Scott! That is so insensitive!"

"I fought Pyro, too," Lance explained. "We even ganged up on him. What's the problem?"

"You're always so aggressive! Who are you trying to impress, Mr. Macho?"

"If it wasn't for me, your pal Summers would've still been in that pile back there!"

"He didn't ask for your help!" Kitty shouted. "Nobody did! We don't need you to do our jobs!"

"Yeah? The X-Men must be SOOOO great! Fuck them and fuck YOU!" After a pause, Lance seized her and pressed her body against his, kissing her mouth, her cheek, her nose, her neck, anything he could find, and she returned them all with equal passion, a fire burning in their loins. They needed each other. They wanted each other. Right there. Right then.

"That's... quite enough." Beast came by to separate them. "Let's get you home, Lance."

So close. So close.

--------------------

"...terrorist stopped by the X-Men after he torched a Barnes and Noble on Cypress, helping to prevent several injuries," the reporter for the noon newscast announced. "Police say that another terrorist was involve-"

"BULLSHIT!" Lance yelled at the television from his chair, wiping a cut with a rage soaked in iodine. Fred and Pietro exchanged tired glances. "I don't believe this! I STOPPED Pyro! Summers helped ME!"

"Does it even matter anymore?" Pietro groaned. "At least Cyclops didn't die. Then you'd get blamed for it."

"I'd gladly take that blame if it meant I didn't have to put up with him anymore," Lance growled.

"Wait, you said you rushed in after him," Fred noted. "So, did you just run in there because you saw Slim running in?"

"That's not the point. It doesn't even matter. Fuck the news. I got to make out with Kitty afterwards. So it was all worth it."

"Still no home run?" Pietro teased.

"Almost," Lance replied. "Now I know she wants it as bad as I do."

"Speaking of total delusion," Pietro said, "Where did Toad and Wanda disappear to?"

"I dunno," Fred replied. "Must've left when I fell asleep."

--------------------

"As far as the police can tell, Pyro had no motive except for self-amusement," Cyclops reported in the X-Men's war room. Sorry, 'planning room.' Professor Xavier, Storm and Magneto were assembled around the table while Cyclops stood to give his report. Though he wore his standard uniform, there was a notable change to Cyclops' look; the hood he usually wore over his head was gone, replaced by a simple collar on his neck. "Perhaps Magneto can offer his insight."

"This is his way," Magneto explained calmly. "Destructive and chaotic. There is nothing else to discuss."

"I disagree," Cyclops said. "Wanda and Toad were both at the scene."

"What? Show me." Cyclops took a remote control from the table and turned on the large viewscreen on the wall, showing surveillance footage of Barnes and Noble. Wanda was looking at some books with Todd standing nearby. The off-screen explosion knocked several shelves over and Todd jumps backwards. Cyclops sped through the footage until he got to the point where Todd carried Wanda through the back exit. "I will speak to Pyro," Magneto growled.

"I think it would be best if I talked to-"

"No!" Magneto yelled. Cyclops stared at him in silence. Magneto cleared his throat. "Pyro knows me. I will get to the bottom of this."

"This isn't your call, Magneto. You have too much stake in this."

"Which is exactly why I can't trust you with it." Magneto abruptly stood up and left the room. Cyclops stared at the door for a moment, his mouth gaping, before asking, "And you're going to let him get away with that?"

"Scott, I know that sending him to solve this may cause problems," Xavier explained, "But I agree with him. Pyro may not be as responsive to us as to his old employer."

"And it will provide him with an opportunity to do some good," Storm added.

"Well I don't like it," Cyclops complained. "I don't like it at all."

--------------------

"Wanda's not picking up," Pietro groaned with his cell phone glued to his ear. "Why does she even have that thing? She never answers it! She-YEAH, this is Pietro. Sis, where are you? I've been calling you for like two hours. I don't know what you're doing, but give me a call, okay?" Pietro pressed 'end.' "Voicemail."

Fred had a bag of cheddar barbecue potato chips with him on the couch and Lance was busy tuning his guitar. Once Pietro set his phone down, he looked at the others with his fists on his hips. "HEY! Does nobody care that Wanda is missing?!"

"It's Wanda," Lance said. "She'll be fine. Toad's probably with her, so he's probably fine, too. She used to run off all the time, what's the big deal?"

"Hello! She's my sister! Why are you acting like it's unnatural for me to care about my only sister? Do either of you have sisters? No! So shut your mouth!"

"If you're so worried about her, why are you still hanging out here?" Lance asked.

"Because... I don't need to listen to this!" Pietro was out the door before the other two could even notice he'd moved. Lance sighed, shook his head, and continued with his guitar.

"This is gonna sound crazy, but I think Pietro cares about her," Fred noted. Lance's only response was a blank stare. "I dunno. Or maybe he just doesn't want Magneto to yell at him or something. But he's being really antsy about this."

"Yeah, but it's Pietro. Guy lives in his own mirrored bubble. She'll turn up, like she alway-"

"Gaaaah!" Todd burst through the front door, carrying an unconscious Wanda. "Move! Move! Move! Move!" Fred jumped off the couch and Todd set Wanda there, elevating her head on a pillow. "Alright. Okay. Now what do I do?"

"How the fuck should we know?!" Lance yelled. "What happened?"

"We were at th' bookstore last night, and that goon Pyro showed up, and she got knocked out, so I brought her here. She just hit her head, but she ain't wakin' up. What do I do? What do I do?!"

"I dunno... get a warm towel or something?" Lance paused. "Wait, you two were there? That was what, ten? What the hell are you doing back at three in the afternoon?"

"Well, I was checkin'... uh... I wanted to take her to th' hospital... but you know, we're mutants, so-"

"So what took you so long to bring her here?" Lance asked, more pointedly.

"I... uh... see, we..." Fred grabbed the squirming Todd by the back of his collar and pulled him up. "'Cuz Cypress street's like kinda far... uh... and..."

"Spill it!" Fred barked.

"Okay! Okay! I wanted to bring her back sooner, but... see, this is how it is. Magneto asked me to do somethin' for him. He... uh... he wanted me to take Wanda to that old guy Mastermind, and have him put her memories back th' way they were."

"You..." Lance looked at Wanda, lying almost lifelessly on the couch. Fred put Todd down on the couch's armrest. "You had her memories changed back?"

"No... well, I was... I dunno. I didn't know if I could go through with it. We spent most of the night in some alley. I didn't know if I should do it or not... I want to, but... I don't know."

"Can't say I'd wanna be in your place," Fred commented. "I mean... giving her memories back, that's the right thing to do, ain't it?"

"Well yeah," Lance replied. "But... that's playing with fire. If you're anywhere near her when that happens, you're as good as dead."

"That's what makes this so hard," Todd moaned. "I want to help her. I really do. But I know she's gonna hate me. To me, she's like... I can't describe it. Maybe she's like a bird to me. I've been keeping her here so I can look at her all day. And she really makes me happy. She's startin' to warm up to me, maybe she'll never fall in love with me, but y'know, I'm cool if she at least thinks I'm a good friend. And I like that. I don't have too many friends. Just you guys, really. She means a lot to me. But I'm bein' selfish. She can't be caged. She needs to be free. And th' truth sets you free, right?"

"I guess," Fred shrugged.

"...But then, she's also a lot happier like this," Todd lamented. "She-"

"Shut up," Lance groaned, rolling his eyes. "You know who you sound like? Pietro. Fucking Pietro. I don't know what he told you to get you to keep quiet about Wanda's past, but you gotta listen to yourself. What do you think is right?"

"What about my past?" Wanda muttered, sitting up slowly and squinting her eyes. Todd nearly fell off the armrest in shock. "...Is there something you guys aren't telling me?"

The three boys looked away from her, all mumbling excuses, cover-ups, and other nonsensical replies. Wanda shifted herself so that she was sitting properly on the couch, and then stood up with her hands on her hips.

"What are you hiding from me? Tell me." They didn't answer. Her hands began to glow. "TELL ME!"

--------------------

John Allerdyce had actually enjoyed his stay at the local jail... until he was paid a visit from an old friend.

"Why did you attack her?" Magneto asked sharply.

The metal tray that Allerdyce had been issued for a meal had warped and twisted itself into a long bar, and it held Allerdyce against the cell window by the neck, attached magnetically to the bars. Magneto remained outside, out of the guards' view.

"Attack who? I didn't do anything! You know, this thing on my neck is very uncomfortable." The bar tightened. "AAaaaah! Stop that! I didn't do anything! You have to believe me!"

"You knew she was there, and you attacked her. Why?"

"Attacked WHO?!" The bar tightened again. "I'm serious! I don't know who you're talking about!"

"Wanda!" Magneto bellowed. "Why did you attack Wanda?!"

"I DIDN'T! I'M TELLING YOU THE TRUTH!" The bar tightened once more, and Allerdyce gasped out, "Okay! Okay, I'll talk!" Once the bar had loosened enough for him to speak, he explained, "He didn't send me to get Wanda. I was after Toad! She just happened to be there!"

"_Who?!_"

"I don't know his name. He's got blond hair, dresses like a fruit! He didn't talk to me, he just... I don't know, it was that teleportation thing, where they talk in your head."

"A telepath. Why did he send you?"

"I don't know. I didn't ask. He gave me some money to do it. It's nothing personal, I swear!"

"I will find this telepath. As for you, your instability has made you too much of a liability. I have no more use for you, Pyro, and I'm going to make sure you never bother me again." The bar constricted around Pyro's throat, but there was a sound- a door opening. Someone had heard Allerdyce's screams. Quickly, he was released and the metal bar warped back into a metal tray, clanging on the floor as Allerdyce coughed and gasped for air. He looked up through the bars, but Magneto had gone.

"What happened here?" the guard asked. "What are you up to, mutie?"

"...Just choked on my muffin," Allerdyce coughed. "A good smoke'll help me clear that up." Allerdyce produced a cigarette from his pocket. "Can I get a light?"

--------------------

"This is a joke. A stupid, ridiculous joke," Wanda sighed, sitting on the couch. "Do you idiots really expect me to believe father would do that to me?"

"That's what happened," Todd insisted.

"Then why don't I remember any of it?" Lance and Fred began to move away from Todd. "Well? Answer that, geniuses!"

"...Magneto..." Todd struggled. "He... had someone mess with your head. Like a telepath."

"...What? Okay, really, what is the point of this? Ha ha, you got me! There! Are we done with this bullshit? I swear, you're all such immature-" Wanda paused. None of them were laughing. In fact, the only expressions they had were of fear and anxiety. She knew that none of them were capable of keeping up such a facade. "...It is a joke, right?"

"It's not," Lance answered. "That all happened."

"But... how? I don't... how is that even possible? Why would he..." Wanda felt light-headed. She steadily took a seat and began to rub her forehead. "I don't... how could he? Why didn't you guys tell me this before?"

"We were afraid," Fred admitted.

"Of my father? But he's not so unreasonable..." Wanda paused, realizing that maybe her own view on her father couldn't be trusted, and not fully realizing that her friends were also afraid of her. "I... I don't even know what to think."

"We're sorr-"

"Leave me alone. Just... I need to think." Wanda grabbed her red coat from the closet and walked out the door. The others looked at each other and sighed in relief. The revelation had gone much, much better than they had anticipated.

"That wasn't so bad," Fred noted. "I mean... I thought she'd kill us."

"I think she's still hoping this is all a big joke," Lance explained.

"I know what I gotta do, then," Todd said. Before he could go, Lance stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Look man, this is going to be tough," Lance said. "I know how you feel about her. Look, whatever happens... watch yourself, man." Todd nodded, and hopped out the door.

--------------------

"A telepath?" Professor Xavier put his hand to his chin and raised an eyebrow. Magneto sat across from him in the Xavier Institute's study, with Scott standing close by. "What did you say he looked like?"

"Blond hair and... 'dressed like a fruit.' That was all Pyro gave me."

"Professor, do you-" Professor Xavier put up his hand, signaling Scott to be quiet.

"Magnus, you'll have to understand that this won't be as easy we thought."

"You know this telepath?" Magneto asked.

"...This may be more than either of us can handle, given our situation," Xavier continued, looking away, as if ignoring Magneto. He rolled his wheelchair towards the door as he talked. "It may also be best if you stayed out of this case."

"...What do you know, Charles? Tell me!"

"Scott, could you give us some room?" Scott nodded and left. Once he was alone with Magneto, Xavier said, "I know if my suspicions are correct, the telepath we are dealing with is more than a match for the X-Men, with or without you."

"Who is he?" Xavier remained silent. Magneto's anger only grew. "Tell me!"

"He is my son!" Xavier responded. "And he is to me what I can only assume Wanda is to you. That's why I need to handle this without your interference."

"He tried to murder my daughter," Magneto said calmly. "You know that I can't stand by."

"Then I warn you to use your better judgment, Magnus. Your bitter emotions have made you a danger to ally and enemy alike. A simple wounded ego made you nearly suicidal in your attempt to destroy Apocalypse. I can't imagine how you'd react to someone who, for whatever misguided reason, nearly had your daughter killed. The outcome would be the same. David is not someone whose powers can be easily ignored, especially not in his current condition. For David's safety and for your own, Magnus, stay out of this."

"I'll consider it," Magneto whispered angrily, leaving the room. Xavier sighed, and left through another door, on his way to Cerebro.

**To be continued...**


	4. Act 1: Mastermind

**If you're concerned that Wanda's taking this all very lightly, we're about to deal with that. Oh, and excuse the grammar.**

**Act 1, Chapter 3- Mastermind**

Lance was right; Wanda still held out hope that what had been revealed to her was part of some elaborate prank. She went through possible scenarios in her mind... what if Pietro had told them to tell her that, but they didn't know it was a joke? But why would Pietro do that? Someone else must've told them. One of the X-Men?

But what about her dreams? Why did she dream about being taken away from her father? Why did she dream about small rooms with barred windows, about being restrained by uniformed men? And why did the events at Mount Arrowrose make absolutely no sense to her?

Wanda held her coat closed. The wind had picked up. At six in the evening, the sun had already set, and in Bayville, the nights were usually chilly. Wanda had walked almost aimlessly for the last hour, not knowing where to go, but wanting time to herself. She had made it as far as the docks, which were closed down for the day and devoid of any real people. She saw the last hint of the sun's pink glow disappearing over the water, and sat down at the dock to watch.

As far as Wanda had known, Magneto had always been a loving father to her. She still refused to accept that anyone might have tampered with her memories. Even if memories of Magneto's abuse had been removed, how could images of him as a caring person be implanted? As far as Wanda knew, that was impossible. The memories were too real. There was too much warmth in them to have been manufactured and just placed there. And yet... they felt empty.

"Nice view," said a familiar voice behind her.

"Go away," Wanda said in a tired voice. "I don't want to see you right now."

"I understand," Todd replied, "But I figured you might like someone to talk to. Even if it's me." Todd sat down next to her, and for a few moments, they looked out at the ocean in silence. "Wanda, I didn't mean to-"

"Toad, if you knew all this, why didn't you tell me before? I thought you were my friend."

"I am. I just... I was afraid," Todd confessed.

"Of my father?"

"Yeah... and, you. A little. I thought that if you knew I'd kept this from you for so long, that you'd... I dunno, snap. And I knew you were happier not knowing any of this."

"So why did you tell me?!" Wanda cried. "You should've let me think I was happy! How should I feel if I know that my father abandoned me, and that someone went into my head to keep me from remembering it?!"

"Wanda, maybe it ain't pretty... but it's th' truth. I know if that happened to me, I'd want to know. I just... I didn't mean to hurt you. You know I'd never do that."

"I don't know. I don't know anything anymore." There were tears in her eyes. "I don't even know if I can trust you. Or Pietro. Or the anyone. How do I know that you're not all in this together?"

"Maybe it don't seem that way sometimes, but I do care about you, Wanda. And I like to think that in your own way, you care about me too. Whatever happens, I'm here for you." No amount of lead time would have prepared Todd for the sudden hug Wanda gave him, resting her head on his shoulder. She needed a shoulder to cry on. Even if it was Toad. This was the second time in two days that Todd had seen her so vulnerable. He put his arm around her, careful to note that she was leaning on him as a friend and nothing else.

"There's something else you should know. I know where we can find th' guy who messed with your head." Wanda looked up at him. "I don't know how his thing works, but I think he can get your memories back."

--------------------

"Mmm-hmm," Pietro mumbled to himself, closing his eyes. Lance and Fred stood in the kitchen with him, after Pietro's search for Wanda had turned up empty. "Okay. I'm going to turn around. I'm going to talk to you guys again. And I'm hoping that I don't get the same shit-headed answer I did last time. Okay." Pietro turned back to face them. "So, gentlemen, where is Wanda?"

"She went out for a walk," Fred replied. "She wanted time to think."

"Good. Good. Okay. Did she say why?"

"This is retarded," Lance groaned. "You want us to lie to you? Fine! She went out because it's her time of the month! Are you happy?!"

"Of COURSE I'm not happy!" Pietro shouted. "How could you... you.. _idiots_ let Toad explain everything to her?!"

"She didn't take it so bad, settle the fuck down." Lance took a beer from the fridge. "She wasn't so much mad as just a little depressed. Toad's probably already found her. Here. Have a drink."

"I don't want a drink!" Pietro slapped the bottle away, but Fred caught it, unfortunately smashing it with his grip. "Do you have any idea how dangerous this could be? What if Toad takes her to Mastermind? Did you morons think about that?!"

"Then that's your problem, not ours," Lance snapped. "You're the one who kept this under wraps. Fuck, Fred and I didn't even know about any of this until like a month after it happened. You don't tell us shit! Toad had to tell us about it! Some leader you are. We're done covering for your ass."

"Then I need to find him before he does something stupid." Pietro tried to dash for the door, but Lance had already positioned himself at the kitchen doorway and grabbed his arm. "Let go!"

"You're not the boss around here. If you really gave a shit about your sister, you would've told her a long time ago. So we all just did you a favor."

"Favor nothing! Maybe you're too brainless to understand, but-AAAGH!" Fred grabbed Pietro from behind and squeezed him with his arms until he passed out. Fred walked to the living room, tossed Pietro onto the couch, and dusted off his hands.

"About time he shuts up," Lance said. "Man. All this drama's making me tense. That was the last beer, so let's go get some more."

"You have your fake ID?" Fred asked.

"I don't feel like looking for it. Your fist is my new fake ID. C'mon."

--------------------

Allerdyce wandered into an alley behind a soup kitchen, having already exhausted himself running from the police following his escape from the Bayville jail. He ducked behind a dumpster to catch his breath.

"Well?" said a voice with a Scottish accent. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Aaah!" Allerdyce almost jumped a foot into the air when he saw his employer. A tall, handsome man with a blond mane of hair, wearing an elegant white dress shirt with a leather vest, matching his black leather pants. He had a confident smirk on his face. "I... how are you doing? I'm fine!"

"You must be very proud of yourself," the man said. "Escaping a local jail all on your own. No help at all from your friend Lucas."

"Lucas," Allerdyce said, for the first time learning his employer's name, "Thanks a bunch, mate! You're not mad at me?"

"Mad? For what? I hired you to take care of Toad. If the Scarlet Witch was there as well, I can imagine how he survived. Whatever it was that you did, it may work in my favor. So, I'll let you keep your money."

"So, is that it, then? You have any other jobs for me? Anyone else you'd like me not to kill?"

"No, we're not done yet. But let's clear something up." Allerdyce was telekinetically lifted into the air. "I'm keeping track of you, just in case. I know you spoke to Magneto. If you tell anyone else anything, I'm killing you. Are we clear?"

"...Crystal..." Pyro gasped.

"Good, now..." Lucas paused. "Toad has gone missing. Move on to the others."

--------------------

After an hour of walking, Todd had led Wanda to an old-fashioned theatre in a run-down neighborhood near downtown Bayville. The theatre had been long been closed, but in years past, it was one of the artistic and intellectual cornerstones of Bayville. It wasn't anywhere near as old as it looked; it had been built to mimic the look of an 18th century theatre, the kind that were no longer built by the time Bayville had been founded. The theatre had been more popular in earlier years, but even by the time a college-aged Hank McCoy had donned tights, the theatre was little more than a relic of an older time and older mentality. In the last few months, there were even claims that the old theatre was haunted.

"I didn't even know Bayville had a theatre," Wanda commented, following Todd down the dark aisle inside the theater. On their way in, they had managed to turn on the lights, though they were very dim. It struck Wanda as odd that a closed theatre would still have some electricity, but given the dimness of the lights and their tendency to flicker, she assumed it was being run on a portable generator.

"Neither did I. They should tear this place down and put like a mall or somethin'."

"Whatever, where is this guy?"

"Hang on. Lemme see if I can get this right." Todd jumped onto the large stage while Wanda waited in the aisle. Todd kept low to the stage and began to knock on it, letting his knocks resonate on the curve of the theatre. He knocked exactly six times, then paused, then knocked twice again. Suddenly, the dusty curtain vanished, revealing that there was, in fact, no curtain at all- it had been an illusion. Sitting in the bare backstage area, littered with abandoned props and equipment, was Mastermind, dressed in a ragged old coat, holding a styrofoam cup with some steam coming out of it.

"Toad. What do you want?" asked a grumpy Mastermind. Despite looking like a homeless man, he sounded educated. Almost academic.

"We ain't here for trouble." Todd said. "Look, we got a small favor to ask."

"I don't do favors," Mastermind sighed as if he was regularly asked to use his powers. "If you have need of my services, I'm available for a price."

"You'll help us," Wanda growled. Her hands were glowing with hex energy. Rather than risk her wrath, Mastermind yielded.

"So much like your father. Alright. What can I do for you?"

"You changed my memories before," Wanda explained. "Can you undo it?"

"Undo? I... I don't know what you're..." A wave of blue energy ran through his body, striking every nerve on his skin and jolting him with pain. "Yes! Yes, I did it! I didn't want to. Magneto bullied me into it."

"I don't care why you did it. Can you undo it?"

"I... I don't know. I've never reversed implanted illusions. My specialty is illusions, not memories."

"Can you at least try?" Todd asked.

"I can try... but I can't guarantee anything. Come with me." Mastermind led them to further into the backstage, with a sleeping cot and a few chairs. "Excuse the mess. Take a seat, please." Wanda looked at the nearest chair, dusted it off, and sat down.

"What do you want me to do?" Todd asked.

"Nothing. I don't need you for this. Just sit back, and don't touch anything," Mastermind barked. "Wanda, close your eyes." Wanda looked at the ugly old man and nervously did as told. "Any direct mind alteration can put a strain on a conscious mind. I'm going to put you into a trance."

"Okay," Wanda whispered, trying not to show her nervousness. Mastermind's eyes began to glow a pale blue and he waved his hands around Wanda's head, his fingers twitching and corresponding with each change in Wanda's mind. The process would be long and complex, but Mastermind had done this to Wanda once before.

In Wanda's head, the changes were far more drastic than she'd expected. A day at the amusement park became a traumatic first night at the asylum. A day in the park with her father became a tray of tasteless food being slid into her cell. A lesson at a public school became a tutor escorted into her cell with armed guards as security. Her father tending to her scraped knee was replaced by asylum employees wrestling her into a straitjacket.

Todd watched with great anxiety, fearful both for Wanda's safety, and once she snapped out of her trance, for his own.

--------------------

"Shit, did you bring any money?" Lance asked Fred as they walked through a parking lot to a convenience store. Fred shook his head and shrugged. "Dammit. We better go back, then."

"Why don't we just steal the booze?" Fred asked.

"Look, I'm all for fake IDs and all that, but stealing ain't something I do."

"Why, 'cuz Kitty doesn't approve?" Fred teased.

"Fuck you. She doesn't own me." Lance looked down rather casually at a ball of fire rolling around his ankles. "Oh. We've got company."

"Right you do, mate," Pyro said, walking out from behind the store and wearing his orange uniform, complete with his custom flame tank. "Nothing personal, but I'm here to shut you up for good. Who wants to go first, the fatty or the roughneck?"

"I ain't fat!" Lance yelled as he rushed towards Pyro. Both of his flame emitters went off and produced twin streams of flame, but Pyro suddenly lost his balance and fell onto his back, losing his mental hold on the fire. He tried to get up, but his tank weighed him down and slowed his reaction time. Lance was already on top of him, smashing his fist into Pyro's face. "You never learn! What's your problem, man?! You never learn!" Lance punctuated his next words with his fists. "You... never... fucking... LEARN!"

"I think you got him," Fred said. Pyro's goggles were cracked, his nose and mouth both bleeding, and his jaw bruised and probably dislocated. Lance's own knuckles were bleeding as well, though only slightly, to Lance's own surprise. Once Lance was off, Fred took Pyro and threw him onto his shoulder. Lance unfastened the tank from Pyro's back and threw it aside. He then ripped part of Pyro's sleeve and bandaged his knuckles, still amazed at how little damage he sustained. "So, what do we do with him? Take him to the police?"

"Yeah, the police around here are so competent. Let's just take him to Xavier's."

"Gonna have Kitty kiss your boo-boo?"

"Yeah. So shut up."

--------------------

"Listen, we've got a problem," Pietro said to his father outside of Xavier's mansion. Magneto walked with him, away from the ears of the other X-Men so that they could discuss the matter in private. "Toad told Wanda everything."

"Everything?" Magneto asked carefully.

"The asylum, the illusionist, everything. Worse, he's taken her to get her memories restored."

"...What?!" Magneto yelled. "And you _let him_?!"

"I had no choice! I wanted to stop him, but Avalanche and Blob-"

"ARGH!" Magneto threw his hand aside and pipes from the angel fountain cracked out of the concrete, spewing water in all directions. "Gather the others and find Toad. Stop him at all costs."

"They're not going to listen to-"

"This order comes from me." The motorized front gate opened and a familiar green jeep drove in. Lance drove with Fred riding shotgun and a tied-up, bruised Pyro in the backseat. "Good, they're here. Avalanche, Blob, go with Quicksilver and-"

"And what? We brought you a present." It was only then that Magneto noticed the bound Pyro in the backseat. "Moron tried to attack us. He's all yours."

"I'll take him inside, but there are more important matters. Go with Pietro and find Toad and Wanda. Keep them from finding Mastermind."

"Wait, wait, wait," Lance said, "Toad said _you_ had told him to get her memories put back."

"What?!" Magneto bellowed. "Why would I order such a thing?"

"We figured since you were so nice to her now..." Fred began.

"I am trying to make amends, but not at the cost of her sanity, or my safety. Have you all forgotten how dangerous Wanda can be in her unaltered state? When she's done with me, she'll go after you. We've wasted enough time. Go. Now!"

"We're not going anywhere," Lance said. Pietro palmed his forehead in frustration. "I'll take Blob or Toad's word over yours any day. He says you told him to do this. Now why are we supposed to stop him?"

"We don't have time for this!" Magneto growled. "Pietro, go find them. You'll be much faster without them." Pietro nodded and sped away from the Institute. "I will not tolerate this disobedience."

"You're not our boss anymore," Lance protested, crossing his arms. Before Magneto could react, Professor Xavier rolled out to see them.

"What seems to be the problem?" Xavier asked.

"Here." Fred took Pyro and tossed him onto the ground at Xavier's feet. "Brought you something."

"We figured you'd be able to handle him better than the police," Lance explained. "That's it. We'll be on our way." Lance and Fred shuffled back into the jeep and drove away, leaving Magneto behind in silent anger.

"I think we have a few questions for Pyro," Xavier commented. Magneto remained silent. "Is something wrong, Magnus?"

"No, nothing," Magneto answered quickly. "Let's take him inside."

--------------------

"That should do it," Mastermind mumbled to himself as his eyes returned to normal. Wanda remained seated, her head hanging back, while Todd hopped over to her.

"So, she'll snap out of this trance soon?"

"Yes. She should be alright. It's actually very difficult to completely erase a memory. I had overwritten them, but I was interrupted before I could completely erase them last time. Empty the garbage can, so to speak."

"How do you know you didn't screw it up this time?" Todd asked.

"We won't know until she wakes up." Mastermind waved his hand across Wanda's face. She raised her head and slowly opened her eyes, straining as if she was staring into a bright light. "Wanda, can you hear me? Can you see me?"

"...Yes..." Wanda said groggily.

"It is finished. How do you feel?"

"...Tired." Wanda rubbed her forehead. "Should I be this tired?"

"It's normal. You still haven't fully emerged from your sleep. Try to stand up." Mastermind held out his hands and took Wanda's, helping her to her feet. She faltered at first, but regained her balance. "Good. The next few moments may be uncomfortable. Your unconscious mind will be communicating with your conscious mind until the... flow of information, for lack of a better phrase, is complete. In a few moments, you should be fine."

Wanda nodded. She remembered the day when Magneto had her committed. She remembered the abuse she faced at the asylum. She remembered Pietro's betrayal and the attack of the Sentinel. She remembered Magneto's trap at Mount Arrowrose. She grabbed her head, clutched it, trying to hold back her anger. Everything now made sense to her. She realized that her father had never cared for her. That he never would care for her. Her brother was just like him. And she realized and understood that what Mastermind had done to her was tantamount to rape.

Without hesitating, Wanda screamed and raised her arms at Mastermind, her fingers crooked and stiff, and powerful bolts of hex energy, powered by Wanda's own anger, shot out and blasted the old mutant, throwing him across the stage until he nearly slid off.

"_How could you do this_?!" Wanda screamed. Todd watched, both fascinated and terrified by Wanda's display of rage. The bolts ripped through Mastermind's body like blue lightning, singing his nerves and piercing his organs, the sparks arcing and morphing the floor, leaving it dented and warped, as if burned and water-damaged at once.

"No! Stop this! Please!" Mastermind pleaded. Todd continued watching, hiding behind the chair Wanda had sat in, the blue light flashing onto his face between the bars of the chair's back. Despite the onslaught, Mastermind struggled to get up, but the hex was too powerful. He fell on his back as the energy intensified.

"How does it feel?! How does it feel to know that there's nothing you can do to save yourself?!" Wanda screamed. "Are you scared, Mastermind?! HOW DOES THAT FEEL?!"

Wanda exhaled, and ended her assault. She wiggled her fingers lightly, as if working the stiffness out of them, and took a deep breath. On the stage, Mastermind lay in a warped crater of the stage floor, smoking and struggling to breathe. His heavy wheezing was the only indication that Wanda hadn't killed him- Mastermind was absolutely still, unblinking.

"Toad!" Wanda called. Todd wasn't very well hidden behind the chair, and cautiously walked out into view. "There you are. You've been a great help," she said in a stern, authoritative voice. Not the Wanda Todd had gotten used to, but a Wanda he remembered. She almost sounded like Magneto.

"He's still alive... maybe... we should get him to a hospital?" Todd suggested, then flinched, expecting her retaliation.

"He'll live. I wasn't about to kill him for being an accomplice, and that's why I'm not attacking you."

"So... we're still friends?" Todd asked nervously.

"No," Wanda said pointedly. Even if he had braced himself for it, the word hit Todd worse than any hex bolt could. In that moment, he almost preferred to have been in Mastermind's place. "I don't need your help anymore. I don't need anyone's help." The Scarlet Witch jumped off the stage and walked up the aisle with determination, every step like a precise stab at the ground. She stopped halfway up and turned back to Todd. "I never want to see you again Toad. I don't want you helping me, I don't want you stalking me, and I don't want you giving me your empty apologies. Understood?"

"Yeah," Todd sighed, and his heart sank. Wanda stormed off and disappeared into the theatre lobby. Todd walked over to the injured Mastermind and carefully picked his limp body up. Toad lifted Mastermind onto his own back, and hopped away to the fire exit. No sense letting him die.

**Shit's hitting the fan now. Read on...**


	5. Act 1: David

**Hey, you're still here! Let's continue, then. Oh, and excuse the grammar.**

**Act 1, Chapter 4- David**

Professor Xavier usually had little trouble with Cerebro. With the helmet and supercomputer amplifying his telepathic powers, he could detect, track, and with minimal effort even communicate with almost any being on the planet. The Professor would never admit it to anyone, because of the possible moral implications of such an idea, but Xavier greatly enjoyed the power that Cerebro gave him. It felt soothing to him, relaxing. Sometimes, he would use Cerebro just to feel better, but never told anyone this. The calming sensation of Cerebro's amplification almost cancelled any thirst for its power Xavier might have had, and to him, resisting the temptation to use Cerebro as a weapon was actually very easy.

But there were moments, though few, where Cerebro caused Xavier nothing but frustration. The majority of these incidents came when he tried to find Magneto, who had enough knowledge about Cerebro to cloak himself from it, and counter any upgrades. But recently, and even before Magneto had come to the Institute, David Haller had been the subject of Xavier's frustration. David's psychic powers, though undeveloped, had the potential to rival Xavier's. To Xavier, the fact that David was already able to mentally cloak himself from Cerebro showed that his skills were growing at an alarming rate. David had probably long surpassed Xavier's best student, Jean Grey.

"Nothing," Xavier sighed, removing his helmet. Storm waited behind him patiently. "I fear that as time passes, finding David will only grow harder."

"You mustn't lose hope, Charles," Storm assured him. Storm's voice could be much more soothing than any breeze she could create. "If we wait long enough, he'll reveal himself."

"But by then, it may already be too late. We have no clue as to his ambitions. Does he want revenge? Does he want global domination? I don't know anything about my son." Xavier lowered his head. "And that's a horrible feeling."

"It wasn't your fault, Charles. Hopefully, David will come to see that."

"I should be talking with him, laughing with him, getting to know him. Instead, I'm looking for him and fearing what he might be up to." There was a chime on the Cerebro console, a specific chime that noted that a mutant had been detected moving around the Institute grounds without permission. "Hmm?" Xavier checked it, and brought up a file on the screen. "It's Toad... and Mastermind?"

--------------------

Todd sat on the couch in Xavier's study, in his usual frog style, alone with Magneto. Mastermind had already been taken to the infirmary. Professor Xavier would be along shortly, but until then, Magneto had Todd to himself.

"So it's too late," Magneto lamented to himself, standing near the fireplace. "It's done." Todd had not yet admitted to what had happened. Magneto had already guessed when he saw Mastermind's condition. "Why did you do it, Toad?"

"You told me to!" Magneto seized Todd by the neck and held him up. "_You told me to!_"

"I gave no such order!" Magneto threw him to the floor roughly. "What made you think that I would want Wanda's memory returned to her? She-" Magneto paused when he came to a realization. "Of course. Mystique. I should've known. She doesn't let go of grudges so easily."

"Look, I gotta say somethin'. Whatever reason this happened, I'm glad it did. What you guys did to Wanda wasn't cool."

"No, it wasn't 'cool', but undoing it has put us at serious risk... and if you want to take the moral high ground, Toad, you've waited for too long for that. It might not be too late. Once Mastermind heals, I'll-" Magneto heard voices in the hall. "Not a word of this to Xavier."

"He's in stable condition," Professor Xavier reported to Todd. "What sort of accident did you say he had, Todd?"

"He... uh... I dunno, really, he was like that when I found him." Todd nodded, partially to himself. "Yep. I was havin' a little walk, more like a little hop, right? And I find him like that on th' street. I figured, him bein' a mutant and all, a regular hospital would be askin' all kinds of questions."

"I appreciate your spirit, Todd, but once Mastermind's condition improves, we'll need to take him away from the Institute," Xavier said. "We only accepted him today because it was an emergency. Mastermind isn't a serious threat to us, but he has shown some hostility. If that's all, then, Todd, you're free to go."

"Yeah, cool. Uh, thanks." Todd hopped around Xavier and left for the door, closing it behind him. Magneto kept his back to Xavier, but he could feel his eyes piercing him.

"You've done a horrible thing, Magnus," Xavier said gravely to Magneto.

"How did you find out?" Magneto asked, knowing it was useless to deny it.

"I scanned Mastermind to see what had happened to him. You should have told me about this. What you did to Wanda is unspeakable, but with my help, I might have been able to ease her memories back to her. With Mastermind, she's experienced them all at once, and I don't think that's a trauma she'll forget easily."

"I did what I had to, Charles. I was a different person then. I did it to save myself at first, but then I saw the greater potential of what I'd done. Wanda would be free of her baggage, and I could start a new relationship with her."

"That was the easy way out," Xavier said. "All you did was lock her away for a second time. But I can still help her. I've had sessions with Wanda before. If I could calm her, and continue these-"

"She would still hate me," Magneto lamented. "Nothing I could do would help her to forgive me. It's a lost cause now, Charles."

"No, it isn't," Xavier insisted. "With some therapy, I think Wanda could be rehabilitated. She could-"

"You're naive, Charles. Whatever relationship I had with my daughter is gone. But you have no right to judge me, when you have no relationship at all with your own son." Xavier wanted to say 'but it wasn't my fault', but guilt continued to gnaw at him. "If you had the chance to erase all of David's trauma and start over with him, wouldn't you?"

"Of course I would. But... but not at the cost of his memories. I want to be a good father to him, and I want him to accept me, but I would never do something as unethical as wiping his memories just to make it easier on myself!"

"It's no different than the time you erased the memories of the human students after Avalanche and the others revealed themselves."

"It's very different!" Xavier shouted. "What I did was to protect the privacy of my students and of all mutants, not to save myself from my own mistakes!" Magneto looked away, ashamed. "We should find Wanda, and see if we can still help her."

"Yes. Maybe you're right after all," Magneto said. As they started out the room, the perimeter defense alarm went off.

--------------------

The front gate of the Institute was torn open by a single hex bolt. The hidden cannons on the grounds were quickly disabled, some shorted out, some with their barrels bent, and some completely shattered into smoking ruins. The first line of defense had failed. The second would not.

Cyclops rushed out of the mansion and immediately fired an optic blast, which dissolved into thin air before it could hit Wanda. Jean Grey, Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, Iceman and Colossus had also answered the call, but... Professor Xavier called them off.

"I'll handle this," he said to Cyclops.

"Professor, I think-"

"Trust me, Scott." Professor Xavier wheeled up to the Scarlet Witch, who stood near the front steps. The X-Men waited behind him, prepared to strike at a moment's notice. Wanda's coat flared behind her as hex energy built up in her hands. "Wanda, is there something I can help you with?"

"Where is he?" Wanda demanded. There was a beep on Cyclops's wrist. He turned away from the conversation on the front lawn and answered it.

"Cyclops," Cyclops identified himself (since he's Cyclops, of course!). "What is it?"

"Pyro's gone," Beast reported.

"What?! How did-"

"I don't know. He just... vanished. I saw it with my own eyes."

"Hang on, Hank. Jean, Iceman, Colossus, stay here. Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, come with me." Cyclops led them back into the mansion.

"If you're looking for your father, he is here," Xavier said to Wanda. "I'd be more than happy to take you to him, if you'll agree to calm down."

"You're not taking me anywhere. WHERE IS HE?"

"Wanda, please, calm-"

"GET OUT OF MY WAY-" Wanda waved her hands, but in an instant, she dropped to the ground, unconscious. Professor Xavier sighed.

"I didn't want to do that. Piotr, could you take her inside?" Colossus nodded and walked down the steps, but suddenly, she vanished in a bright, white flash. Xavier covered his eyes and Colossus backed away slightly. When the light disappeared, there was no trace of Wanda.

"Where did she go?" Colossus asked. "She can teleport?"

"No, she can't," Xavier replied with a hint of alarm in his voice. He looked around frantically. The others, not knowing why, began to look around as well, hoping for some sign of Wanda, or whatever else Xavier might've been looking for.

"I'm up here."

Lucas hovered in the sky above them with his arms crossed, reveling over his small victory over his father. "Don't worry about Wanda. She'll be alright."

"David, why are you-"

"My name is Lucas," he shouted angrily. "David is the name of your son. But you've been no father to me. I know I'm not welcome at your little school, Professor. I'll be on my way now."

"Lucas, wait!" But Lucas had already flown away. Professor Xavier rubbed his forehead. He had found David again, only to lose him.

--------------------

On his way down the hall, Fred noticed Todd leaning against the doorway of one of the bedrooms. Even if Fred didn't know the layout of the house, he wouldn't have had to guess whose room that was.

"C'mon, man, you know I hate seeing you like this," Fred told him.

"Someone left this door open." Todd looked inside. Wanda had only been gone for a day, but already, the room felt like it had been empty for months, despite its condition. Wanda hadn't bothered to return to the house after regaining her memories. The bed was left unmade, a few books were stacked on the dresser, and her writing journal was thrown on the floor, along with her favorite pen.

"I don't think she ever wants to see any of us again."

"I'm th' one who took her to Mastermind... that's gotta count for somethin', right?"

"You still kept it from her for a while."

"Maybe, but still..." Todd didn't finish the sentence.

"C'mon, Toad. We gotta get your mind off her. How about we go see that new boxing movie later?" Todd nodded, then grabbed the door handle with his long tongue and closed it.

"What? Wanda disappeared?" Lance asked, walking out of his room and stopping in the hallway with his cell phone pressed to his ear. Todd and Fred watched him. "Lucas? Who the hell is Lucas? ...What? Nobody told us. Nobody tells us anything! Pyro, too? What the hell?"

"We think Lucas took both of them," Kitty said from outside the planning room at the Xavier Institute, where Magneto and Xavier continued a heated argument. Every so often, she would hear someone slam something. "Magneto wasn't too happy."

"I'd be pissed, too. Well, do they-" Todd grabbed the phone with his tongue. "Dammit, Toad! Give that back!" Todd hopped away from Lance's reach and took over the conversation.

"Kitty? Yo. Toad. What happened to Wanda?"

"Well," Kitty began, ignoring his rudeness for the sake of emergency, "she came looking for Magneto, and then she disappeared. Lucas took her, he's... like the Professor's son and he has personality issues."

"Wait, is she-" Suddenly, the phone was seized by another guest.

"So, is she alright? Did this guy hurt her?" Pietro asked.

"Er," Kitty spouted, "As far as the Professor could tell, he just teleported her. She should be fine. Can I talk to Lance now?"

"Whatever." Pietro looked at the phone, rubbed the slime on Todd's sleeve, and returned it to Lance.

"Sorry about that. Toad's an ass. Anyway, do they know where Lucas is?"

"No, that's the problem. Lucas has some way of blocking himself from Cerebro. It's impossible to locate him. Even if we do, I don't think we're strong enough for him. We have no idea what he's up to. Most of us are a little on edge right now." Kitty ducked as part of a metal chair flew out the planning room door. "Things are getting a little hot in here, I'd better get going. Bye La-" Magnetic interference cut the call short.

"Hmm. Must've run out of minutes," Lance said out loud. He threw the phone back to Todd. "Clean that up, would ya? I'm gonna go have a smoke." Lance walked down the stairs, packing his box of cigarettes, when the front door flew open. Lance was too stunned to do anything when their visitor ran to him, took his cigarettes, threw them on the floor and smashed them with her heel.

"There is to be NO smoking in this house!" Mystique yelled, standing before him like the blue-skinned taskmistress he remembered. "Understood?"

"I was gonna go outside!" Lance protested, nonchalantly reacting to his boss's sudden appearance at their house after nearly six months.

"I'm sure," Mystique said. "Where are the others? Get them here. Now."

"Uh... guys, you should probably come down here."

"Why, are the girl scouts back?" Fred asked hopefully. Seeing only Mystique downstairs, his reaction was a single "Oh." He lined up next to Lance and was soon joined by Pietro and Todd. Mystique didn't visit them often. In fact, the last three times they had seen her were shortly before being trapped at Area 51, when Xavier turned her solidified form over to them, and when she re-appeared as a Horseman of Apocalypse. Still, she was the Brotherhood's actual leader. And more importantly, the house's actual owner.

"Good. You're all here," Mystique said to them. "I have good news for you. You're going to be a lot more active from now on. We have a new enemy, someone who could be potentially more dangerous than Xavier or Magneto."

"Lucas?" Lance asked.

"...Yes. Lucas." Mystique leaned in closer to Lance, her cat-like yellow eyes glaring at him. "Why? Do you know him, Avalanche?"

"Well... not p-personally," Lance stuttered. Ordinarily, the others would laugh at him for showing fear, but none of them were free from it. "I've just heard about him. That's all."

"Then you're ahead of your 'brothers'. If you've heard about Lucas, no doubt it was Kitty who told you," Mystique said the name with a sneer. "You probably already know that Lucas has Wanda and Pyro. She's reverted back to her old self, so she'll be much more useful to us. Our first priority is to get her back. Once we do, we're going to begin training to face Lucas as a team."

"So you know where he's got her?" Todd asked.

"No. You're going to help me find him, Toad. In the meantime, I want Blob and Avalanche-"

"Wait a minute," Pietro said. "How do you know Wanda has her memories back?"

"That's not important" Mystique said without flinching. "What's important is that we get her back on our side. "

"You know because you're th' one who ordered it!" Todd yelled. Mystique turned and gave him such a glare that he almost fell back. He gathered his bearings and stood up to face her. "It was you disguised as Magneto, wasn't it?"

"She deserved to know the truth," Mystique admitted. "That's also how you felt, Toad." Todd couldn't disagree, and shrunk down slightly.

"But that's not how I feel," Pietro protested. "Maybe this doesn't matter to you, but she's my sister. She didn't need your help. She was just fine the way she was."

"Ah, Pietro. Your loyalty is still to your father, no matter how much you deny it. Tell me, are you more afraid of him, or me?"

"I'm done working with you," Pietro yelled. "And I'm done working with Magneto! All the other stuff you made me do, fine! But messing with my sister's head, that's where I draw the line."

"You didn't complain before," Mystique scoffed, completely unthreatened. "Since when did you grow a conscience? It doesn't matter. You're not a part of this team anymore. Get out of my house, Pietro."

"Fine! I'm out of here!" Pietro, like his sister, didn't bother packing, or even going back to his room. He simply walked to the door, opened it, and closed it behind him.

And just like that, Pietro Maximoff was out of the Brotherhood.

"That leaves us a little shorthanded," Mystique noted. "While Toad is doing recon work to find Wanda and Lucas, I'm going to need Avalanche and Blob to help me recruit some new members. I have a list of confirmed mutants across the world as scanned by Cerebro, and plenty of them have turned down Xavier's offer to join the X-Men. We'll start with those."

"You know what?" Lance said, emboldened by Pietro's decision. "No. I'm not doing that."

"You're disobeying me?" Mystique asked. "I'm not surprised. After Quicksilver, you were the least loyal to our cause, and we have Kitty Pryde to thank for that."

"It's not about Kitty," Lance defended. "It's about you. I'm sick of taking orders from you. You leave us to fend for ourselves in this rat-hole you call a house while you're off doing who knows what, and you don't even have the decency to tell us why. You just show up and want us to obey you like you own us?"

"I _do_ own you!" Mystique yelled. "I'm your legal guardian and if you ever want to be free of me, you'll do as I say."

"Guess what? While you were off playing spy, I turned eighteen." Lance left the foyer and went up the stairs. "I'm packing my shit. You guys can stay if you want, but I'm out of here."

"Don't you even think about it," Mystique said to Todd and Fred before they could say anything. "If you want to remain losers, you can go with Lance. But so long as you're living under my house, you will obey my rules."

"You know something?" Fred said. "I ain't afraid of you. 'Cuz guess what? I'm eighteen, too. If you want me to stay on this team, you'd better start paying me."

"Fine," Mystique compromised. "I'll pay you per mission. Both of you."

"Sellouts," Lance said to them as he passed by, without looking. He carried a duffel bag with him and his electric guitar. He was out the door and out of the Brotherhood just as quickly.

"Alright. Toad, you have your assignment," Mystique ordered. "Blob, you're coming with me. The first three names on my list are Karl Lyk-"

"How much are we talking?" Fred asked.

"We'll talk about your salary later."

"You know what? I've changed my mind," Fred exclaimed. "I'll be out of your hair, too."

"Fine! Go, you dumb brute!" Mystique yelled. She crossed her blue arms and looked at Todd. "Well?"

"W-well what?"

"Are you staying or are you so weak-willed that you'll just follow the others?" Mystique asked. "Who am I kidding," she then groaned.

"I dunno..." Todd sat down on the ground. Mystique had put him through such a dilemma once before, disguised as Magneto. Now he had to consider his future. He wanted to find Wanda, and he knew staying with Mystique was his best chance. But like the others, he was tired of her abuse. It didn't help that she had manipulated him into restoring Wanda's memory just so she could be used against Lucas, and now that he thought about it, he was sure Mystique had also done that because Magneto was at a specific place now, along with Xavier, and if left unchecked, Wanda would probably destroy them both at once. But he had nowhere else to go.

Fred lumbered down the stairs with an overstuffed suitcase with several bumper stickers on it. Among them, "Fred Dukes- World's Strongest Teenager," a memento from his days at the Texas State Fair.

"You coming?" Fred asked his smaller friend.

His mind was made up. Todd stood up, and gave Mystique his answer.

--------------------

Wanda woke up and abruptly sat up, part of her thinking she was still in front of Professor Xavier. Much to her surprise, she was somewhere else entirely. She was back in the theatre where she had met Mastermind, except she wasn't on the stage, but on one of the private viewing boxes overlooking it. She realized that she was already seated and stood up to look out at the stage. She could see the spot where she had attacked Mastermind, warped and bubbled like a piece of plastic left in an oven. She also noticed that the lights had been restored, more or less, to a brighter state than the last time she was there.

She also saw Pyro sitting at the edge of the stage, playing with the cap of his lighter. What was he doing there? He was one of Magneto's minions once. Was he still working with him?

"Pyro!" she yelled. Pyro looked up, nonchalantly, almost bored. "Where is Magneto?!" Pyro only shrugged, then turned back to his lighter. "TELL ME!"

"Calm down, lass," said a man sitting close by. Wanda had failed to notice him and stood up, her hands glowing. "No need to fear me. My name is Lucas."

"What do you want?" she asked. Her hands were still glowing.

"To talk, that's all." Lucas scratched the blond patch on his chin. "I've been watching you, Wanda. I know what Magneto has done to you. What he had done to you, and what he had undone to you. I like to think that I understand you."

"You don't understand anything!" Wanda's hex extended from her hands to two empty chairs in the box, instantly disassembling them and letting them fall apart in their separate components. She pointed her hand at Lucas, who remained calm. His blue eyes were fixed on her. His mane-like hair and striking features almost gave Wanda the impression of a lion. If she weren't so angry and suspicious of him, she would have said he was handsome. His fashion sense had to be admired, too, dressed in a formal white shirt with a black leather vest, pants, and studded bracelets, along with a studded collar. The top buttons on his shirt were unfastened, giving her a glimpse of his chest. As Wanda saw him, he was masculinity personified.

"I share your pain, Wanda," he continued. "My father was never there for me, either. I grew up without him. Without any male role model. But worse was the legacy he left me. I inherited his power. It developed at an early age. You see, I'm a telepath." Wanda raised her other hand as well. "No, no, don't worry, lass. I'm not the bad kind. I wouldn't dream of touching that beautiful head of yours without your permission," he said. "But, for a long time, I couldn't control my power. I looked through the minds of everyone I encountered, without trying, or wanting to. I don't need to tell you how disconcerting that can be. There were times when I thought I was going crazy. I couldn't remember who I was."

Wanda lowered her hands. She took a seat next to Lucas.

"My birth name was David Haller, but that's not my true name. All of those thoughts surrounded and trapped me. I developed multiple personalities, while the real me was trapped inside. The outer me was weak, naive, very foolish. I could only watch helplessly as this outer me, 'David', lived my life. The only one who could've helped me was my father, but he was never there for me. I was a prisoner in my own mind. Just like you were a prisoner of your father's neglect."

"Your father was Xavier, wasn't he?"

"Yes," Lucas said, a little surprised. "How did you know?"

"You just look like him, I guess."

"Aye, but with hair," Lucas joked. "He tried to pick up our relationship. He thought it was that easy. But he did me one favor. He set me free. The real me, Lucas, is in control now. And I can teach you how to be in control."

"I don't need you to teach me," Wanda said defiantly.

"Maybe, maybe not. That remains to be seen. But we both want the same thing. Revenge." Lucas waved his hand and some of the bolts and metal bars from the chairs Wanda had destroyed floated up to him and cobbled themselves together to look like a small, rough statue of Magneto, and a second one confined to a wheelchair, which Wanda assumed to be Xavier. "Your father and my father. They neglected us. They betrayed us. The patronized us. Now, they're both united. Allied. If either of us tried to face either of our fathers alone, we would face both Magneto and Charles Xavier. Alone, neither of us would stand a chance. But together..."

"Together..." Wanda wiggled her fingers and blew the statues apart. Lucas smiled and turned to her. Wanda's eyes were now more accepting. "What do you need him for, then?"

"Oh, Pyro," Lucas remembered. "You and I will take the leaders while Pyro and a team of mutants keep their peons busy. We'll find some people to fill in, it's not important, really. What's important, is us." Lucas took Wanda's hand, and though it surprised her, she didn't resist. "What do you say, Wanda? Are we partners?"

Wanda wasn't interested in Lucas's help, but the more she thought about it, the more sense his plan made. Xavier had already stopped her single-handedly. Maybe Lucas's psychic powers could hold Xavier off long enough for her to find Magneto and make him pay for what he had done to her.

"Partners."

--------------------

"It's no use," Xavier said, putting down the Cerebro helmet and turning to Magneto. "He's blocking her mind as well. I can't find Pyro, either."

"Then we've lost her," Magneto lamented.

"It's not all lost, Magnus," Xavier explained. "David and Wanda will reveal themselves in time. No doubt, David will convince Wanda to help him. I'm willing to bet they've united to exact revenge on both of us."

"Then we must remain united as well." Professor Xavier rolled away from the Cerebro console with Magneto, walking through the halls of the lower levels in silence. Xavier's actions on Wanda and her abduction by Lucas had led to a rather violent argument between the two men, but it was quickly resolved. The pair walked to the control center for the Danger Room and watched a session led by Cyclops and Jean Grey, leading Rogue, Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, Iceman and Colossus through an obstacle course. Iceman's uniform was much like the standard trainee uniform, but with different boots and shoulder pads. Colossus had traded his trainee uniform for an official X-Man uniform, which looked very much like his old Acolyte uniform, only with permanent pants, a yellow x-belt, and yellow boots. The red chestplate and yellow shoulderpads remained. This was the first time the new roster of the X-Men had been assembled.

"Impressive," Magneto noted. "What about Beast and Storm?"

"They're still active, but with the planned expansions to the Institute, and the second campus we're planning, they've decided to take more administrative roles," Xavier explained. "I was thinking it would be nice to have two X-Men teams. One for each campus. The New Mutants are almost ready. By the time the second campus is built, I hope that they can take over as staff there."

"I agree. I'll take them to the new school and lead them there."

"Actually," Xavier interrupted, "I thought it might be a better idea if you and I were to stay close. "My plan, actually, was to give administrative control of the campus to Storm, with Beast running the second campus, and giving you command over the X-Men. I feel it's too early now, the team needs to get used to you, but that's my plan. I would remain here and help run both campuses from this central office."

"Do you trust me with that kind of power, Charles?"

"Yes," Xavier said without hesitation. "I do."

--------------------

Lance Alvers, Fred Dukes, Pietro Maximoff and Todd Tolensky met up at the empty parking lot where Lance used to smoke, staring ahead at the burned-down bookstore. They leaned against the jeep, though Pietro specifically stayed upwind of Lance as he exhaled cigarette smoke. It was past midnight and aside from a car or two passing by the nearby road, they were essentially alone.

"So that's it," Lance repeated. "That just leaves the four of us. No Brotherhood. No house. But no Mystique, or Magneto. So what do we do now?"

"I don't know," Pietro said. "I'm not too thrilled about mooching off my dad, you guys even less. You know what I'm thinking? I say we leave Bayville behind. Find a new place, start up again, get a new team going. What do you guys think?"

"I'm down," Todd said.

"I've got relatives in Texas," Fred suggested. "We could head there until we get back on our feet."

"That's too far for me," Lance complained. "I think I'm staying here in Bayville. I wanna take a break from the 'mutant team' thing and just be some guy for a while. Probably get a normal job and an apartment and just take it easy. Too much pressure from everyone else, you know?"

"Either way, I'm going home," Fred told him. "I've been away too long. I'm almost getting used to the climate here. My uncle Jack could probably let me work on his farm. Yeah. Home sounds good."

"Well wait a minute, we can't just split up," Todd said. "I mean, we've always been pretty tight. I figured... you know, maybe we could all still hang around."

"No, Lance is right," Pietro said, rubbing his chin. "We need a break from this. Well, great knowing you guys. We did some good work in our time."

"Yeah," Fred agreed. Lance nodded and exhaled some more smoke. Todd slouched a little. "Where are you going, then, Pietro?"

"I haven't figured it out yet. Give me some time to clear my head a bit, stretch my wings, get away from Magneto for a while. I'll get back to you on that."

"I'm gonna go to Xavier's and see if they'll let me crash for the night," Lance said. "I could pay for a motel, but I'm not gonna waste my money if I can get a free room."

"You do that," Pietro said. "I'm gonna go find me a hotel to sleep in. I guess I'll see you guys around, then." Not one for sentimentality, Pietro waved to them and sped away.

"What about you guys, you need a ride?" Lance asked his remaining friends.

"I... I guess it wouldn't hurt to try Xavier's for a night," Todd said.

"Eh, the bus station's nearby," Fred replied. "I've got enough for a bus ticket or two. I'm not wasting my money on a motel and no way I'm staying at Xavier's. I'm gonna walk and take a nap there until my bus leaves."

"So, this is it then, huh?" Fred nodded. Lance shook his hand and they patted each other on the shoulder. Then it was Todd's turn, who did the same, though Fred added a hug. No, not a mushy hug, a manly one. Fred's manly. So is Todd. "Listen man, when you get all set up over there, give Kitty a call, she'll know where you can find us."

"Yeah man, we gotta stay in touch," Todd added.

"Thanks, guys. You're good friends. That's all I've ever really needed." Lance climbed into his jeep, followed by Todd and the two waved to Fred, and drove away. Fred took his suitcase and began his journey back to his home.

--------------------

As Lance had predicted, Professor Xavier welcomed both he and Todd into the mansion, and offered to help find them new homes. Lance was too tired to discuss anything and took one of the guest bedrooms and quickly fell asleep.

Todd, however, had something else in mind. He met with Professor X and Magneto in the library, along with Scott, who had just been there to look at some books.

"What was it you wanted to ask, Todd?" Xavier asked.

"I... I want a job. Here," Todd said. "Any job. I'll scrub toilets if I have to."

"Todd, I'm sorry, but we... really don't have any job openings. If you wish to enroll-"

"No, I don't want to be one of th' X-Men," Todd said. "Or a student. I just want a job. I figured this was th' place to go."

"Toad, do you have any teaching experience?" Scott asked incredulously.

"No, but... well, I ain't gotta be a teacher. I could do small things. Odd jobs."

"You heard the Professor, we don't have any jobs available," Scott repeated.

"Wait..." Xavier said. Telepathically, he told Scott, "Perhaps we could give Toad a job here."

"Professor, you can't be serious," Scott mentally replied, "He has no job skills, no scruples, he's a known criminal... there's nothing he could possibly contribute to the Institute."

"Can I offer a suggestion?" Magnus said telepathically (or rather, thought, and allowed Xavier to hear). Todd watched in confusion as the three exchanged glances without exchanging words. Scott seemed noticeably upset by the conversation. At one point, he even sighed in frustration. Xavier and Magneto, however, remained perfectly stoic.

Finally, Xavier said to Todd, "I think there is something available for you."

"You will be my personal assistant," Magneto said. Todd's face lit up. "This will not be an easy job. You will be expected to be on-duty for a majority of the day. You will keep track of appointments, messages, parcels and obey all schedules. You will do exactly as I tell you, and you WILL take a daily shower. Do you understand this?"

"Shower? Uh... well... okay. Yeah. I can do that," Todd said hopefully. "When do I start?"

"I'll begin your orientation tomorrow morning. You'd better get some sleep," Magneto said with a hint of menace.

"Yes sir! Thank you. I'll get right on that." Todd hopped out of the room.

"I don't like this," Scott said to the two elder men.

"Relax, Scott," Xavier told him. "He will not get in your way. He won't even be part of the team. He's administrative staff, that's all, and he'll answer directly to Magneto."

"Well, okay. I'm gonna go see if he needs help settling in," Scott said. "And make sure he doesn't steal anything."

"I don't know why I'm agreeing to this," Magneto said to Xavier. "I think you overestimate Wanda's connection with Toad."

"Maybe her esteem for him, yes, but Toad knows things about Wanda that neither of us does," Xavier explained. "With the Brotherhood disbanded and the other boys going their separate ways, I think it might be a good idea to keep Toad nearby... and prevent him from trying to find Wanda himself. And besides, with the students still adjusting to your continued presence, it might be good for you to have an assistant who doesn't hold the same grudge against you, at least until others learn to tolerate your presence here."

"Don't expect me to show him any lenience," Magneto warned. "But he could be useful..."

**END ACT ONE.**

**Now's a good time to take a break. **

**If you don't need one, we'll move on through, my friend.**


	6. Act 2: The Black Helicopter

**Well, it's time for our final time jump... from this point on, we're about five years after the last chapter (in other words, five years after Ascension Part Two, and X-Men: Evolution as a whole). Oh, and excuse the grammar.**

**Act 2, Chapter 1 (5)- The Black Helicopter**

The windows of several cars in one of the many streets of Bayville suddenly shattered, victims of a sonic boom created by a mutant running past them at, well, sonic speeds. This hadn't been his first run past this street. In fact, some of the cars had the opposite windows already broken when they had been parked in the other direction the last time he'd visited.

Pietro Maximoff, noticing a car window he hadn't shattered, zoomed back past it, and once he was satisfied with the littered glass, he ran back in the direction he had been going. Quicksilver, as he was known when he wore his blue-green outfit, carried a small sack with him as he swerved in front of a passing car, dodging it at the last second, then making a right at the following street. Still thin and sleek, Pietro had matured, and the resemblance to his father could no longer be ignored (though Pietro was thankful that his jaw wasn't as prominent). He wore the same costume he had worn as a member of the Brotherhood, though it was now so tight that it left little to the imagination... something the vain Pietro rather enjoyed.

Quicksilver laughed to himself. He ran around another car, making a full circle before the driver could even make a full stop, and when he did, Quicksilver stopped in front of the driver's side, reached through the window, and slapped the driver on the cheek. As the driver screamed profanities and honked his horn, Quicksilver thumbed his nose and ran off...

...Right into an optic blast.

"Yoooowwww!" Quicksilver yelled as he skidded along the ground. Standing nearby were three of the X-Men: Cyclops, Rogue and Iceman. In the years following the Brotherhood's split, Quicksilver had only encountered the X-Men twice. By now, he was used to the new black and yellow uniforms. Cyclops's uniform had short sleeves, and his hair was cut very short. Rogue wore a coat over her uniform and wore her hair parted to the side. Iceman's uniform was difficult to make out, as he had a tendency to encase himself in ice more often now than as a teenager.

"This is your third strike," Cyclops warned, pointing to him with what Quicksilver called 'the warning finger.' "This time, we're turning you over to the police."

"Sure, if you can catch me!" Quicksilver dodged a few more optic blasts and ice beams and just to spite them, ran between Rogue and Iceman, close enough for them to grab him but too fast for them to even try. Once he was behind them, he stuck his nose out and dashed away.

"Watch me," Rogue said. She kicked off the ground and flew into the air. Quicksilver looked back and was more than a little startled by the sight of Rogue flying. How long had she been able to do that? More importantly, how was it she was able to fly fast enough to catch up to him?

Quicksilver picked up the pace. Rogue could fly much faster than she could run, but Quicksilver hadn't begun to strain himself just yet. In fact, he was starting to enjoy it. He slowed down ever so slightly and Rogue closed in, pulling off one of her gloves. Just when she had him, Quicksilver sprinted ahead with new speed.

"Get your scrawny little ass back here!" Rogue yelled. "I swear, when I get you, I'm gonna-"

Quicksilver ducked suddenly and Rogue shot ahead of him, flying up to avoid crashing into the wall of a butcher's shop. She hovered in the air, looking around for Quicksilver, but there was no trace of him. She landed on the street and groaned. Cyclops and Iceman soon caught up to her.

"I lost him," Rogue muttered. "The little creep got away."

"It's alright," Cyclops said. "We'll find him again. He's already had his third strike, so we'll contact the police and tell them to keep an eye out for him."

"Maybe we should have brought Jean or Kurt," Iceman suggested.

"We don't need them," Rogue snapped. "I'm just getting used to flying, that's all."

"He has a point, we've been short-handed lately," Cyclops said. "Let's get back to the Institute."

--------------------

Quicksilver hadn't actually ducked. He'd fallen right into an open manhole. Once he had heard the X-Men above leave, he was free to react to his new surroundings.

"Ohhhh EEEEEEUUUUUUUUCCCHHH!" Quicksilver stood up out of the brownish-green sludge and shook it off his hands, resisting the urge to wipe it off his body. He pulled himself onto the paved walkway to the side and shook himself off. His hands were filthy, so he couldn't risk checking to see if his hair was okay. He had to figure out how to get out first. Unfortunately for him, the manhole's ladder had been broken off. Quicksilver guessed it might be lying in the sludge, but he wasn't about to go in and look for it. His only other option was to walk around and find another exit.

Only, that wasn't an option either. As he tried to walk, he realized that his right leg was screaming at him. Why didn't it hurt before? The initial shock of lying on human waste was greater than any pain he felt, Pietro guessed. Grabbing his leg, he sat down on the walkway.

"Hey! Is anyone still up there?! Rogue? Cyclops? Anyone!"

"I'm here."

"Well good, because I- GAAAH!" The last thing Pietro expected to see was his old rival, none other than Evan Daniels himself. Spyke walked towards him, slightly hunchbacked and covered with layers of bone armor. He still wore a pair of jeans and red sneakers, though no shirt would fit over his armored back. He walked with a bone-spear that he used as a walking stick and stopped next to the sitting Quicksilver. "Oh... it's you, Daniels. So, you still haven't gotten the bone-plates off, huh?"

"No," Spyke replied with a considerably deeper voice. The tips Spyke's spikes began to glow a hot yellow. "What are you doing here, Pietro?"

"Okay, hang on. I was running around on the street, some moron left the manhole open, I fell in, and my leg's either sprained or broken, I really can't tell. Before we go any further, I need to ask something. How can you stand to live in this FILTH?"

"Shut up. Let me take a look at that." Spyke examined Pietro's leg, then created a makeshift splint out of bone. To Pietro's shock, he tore off the material around Pietro's leg.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you-"

"Will you shut up and let me help you?" Spyke propped the splint to Pietro's leg and wrapped the shreds of Pietro's leg coverings around it to keep it in place. "That'll hold it until you can get some real medical attention."

"Uh, yeah, thanks," Pietro said, looking away. "So, you wouldn't happen to know a way out, would you?"

"Yeah. The sooner you're out of here, the better. I don't think the others will take too kindly to you." Spyke helped Pietro to his feet, then left Pietro lean on him as he helped him walk. "What are you doing running around open manholes?"

"Long story."

"I have time," Spyke insisted.

"Alright. I was running around town breaking things, the X-Men showed up and started chasing me, so I fell in."

"That's your long story? What were you doing breaking things?"

"I got bored. I've been doing it a lot lately. I'll break some windows, maybe steal some jewels, some cash. Anything that catches my eye."

"Are you still doing that?" Spyke asked incredulously. "I thought you were too old for that. What do you need to steal things for?"

"I don't," Pietro said quickly. "I'm doing it for the thrill. I'm addicted to adrenaline and there's no going back. You know, the X-Men are being pretty lenient lately. I've only done this in Bayville three times, I guess, and they're only now willing to call the cops on me. The last two times, they said they'd let me go if I promised not to do anything."

"That's their policy," Spyke explained. "If they can get you to stop making the rest of us look bad, then they don't see a reason to call the police. It'd just attract attention."

"So you're not doing the vigilante thing, then?"

"Only when they're not looking." They continued walking in silence for another few minutes. Pietro could see solid chunks floating in the water and rats scurrying along pipes. Distant drips echoed through the hollow tunnels and Pietro had to continue wondering how anyone could possibly live there, let alone WANT to live there.

"Hey," Pietro said, breaking the silence, "When did Rogue start to fly?"

"About a month ago," Spyke explained. "I don't know the whole story, but from what my aunt told me, Rogue just held onto a mutant for too long and permanently absorbed their power. Actually, I figured Kitty would've told Lance and you guys would've heard by now."

"Us guys? Wow, news doesn't travel far in the sewer, does it?" Pietro grinned. "The old Brotherhood's done. We split up a few years ago."

"I know, but I thought maybe you'd kept in touch. I'm too busy with actual responsibilities to really keep track of this stuff."

"Please," Pietro scoffed. "You're defending a bunch of low-lifes who can defend themselves. Admit it, you stay down here because you're ashamed of the way you look."

"No!" Spyke yelled. "But most of them are. But they can't all defend themselves. That's why they need me." There was more silence. "Actually, Scott came down and offered me a job at the new campus. I turned him down."

"That's too bad. You could probably have made enough to support the entire Morlock colony," Pietro said idly.

"Maybe. But they depend on me for protection, not for food. They bring me food. It's like that symbiosis stuff Mr. McCoy was talking about. Oh wait, you skipped that day. And all the others."

"I had more important things to do with my time."

"Like scheming with your dad?" Spyke retorted, referring to the day of the Sentinel attack.

"Listen, I did what I had to in order to save myself. It was either go down with the rest of you, or stay by my father's side and wait it out. You can't tell me you wouldn't have done the same thing in my position."

"Sssspyke..." Caliban jumped down from the overhead pipes, pale and taller than either boy. He looked Pietro over as if he was covered in... wait, he was covered in shit. "You know the rulesss," he hissed. "No topsiders."

"Someone broke the ladder on 53rd," Spyke explained. "I'm taking him to another exit."

"...I know this one..." Caliban looked at Pietro with his dead, yellow eyes. "Quicksssilver. Magneto'ssson. He could be a ssspy."

"I've had a rough day, corpse boy, just find me a way out," Pietro snapped.

"Take him to Callisssto..."

--------------------

"So you're Magneto's boy," Callisto said. Pietro sat tied to a chair in the inner chambers of the Morlock tunnels while several of them looked him over. Pietro was surprised to find that their leader Callisto wasn't all that ugly. Grungy, in need of some proper grooming, yes, but considering that her worst features were an eyepatch and a large scar across her face, she was downright beautiful for a Morlock. Spyke and Caliban stood to one side. "How do we know you're not here to cause trouble?"

"You have my word," Pietro said. "I fell in, that's all. That's why I've got a busted leg. I don't even know if it's sprained, or broken, or what. All I want is a way out."

"You know him, Spyke," Callisto said. "Can we trust his word?"

"I think he's here by accident like he says..." Spyke looked Pietro over. "But I can't say he's someone who can be trusted."

"Oh, come on! That was a long time ago! Nothing bad happened to any of you!" Pietro complained. "We were on opposite sides, I was following orders!"

"But you betrayed your own teammates, too! Your own sister!"

"Hey, if someone like Magneto gave you the chance to either stand by him or fall with everyone else, you'd do the same thing. All of you would!"

"You underestimate the strength of loyalty," Callisto said to him. "Until we're convinced that you're not here to cause any trouble, you'll be our prisoner."

"You're going to keep me in this shithole?! You can't do that! It's inhumane! Look at me! I'm covered in FECES! I need a show-" The touch of Torpid, the young girl with oversized hands, froze Pietro in place and finally shut him up. Two of the others picked him out of the chair and took him away.

"I don't think keeping him here is such a good idea, either," Spyke told Callisto. The chamber resonated with their footsteps- it wasn't part of the sewer system, but a large tunnel carved out of rock, like many of the Morlock tunnels. They had already been there, ready for them when the Morlocks first arrived. They reinforced the tunnel with brick stones and loose pipes they had found in the sewers, and they slept under tents stolen from the surface. "What if he is spying for Magneto? Won't he come looking for him?"

"I know it's risky, Spyke," Callisto said to him, "But we have no reason to trust Quicksilver. In fact, we have every reason not to. Magneto hasn't done anything to us yet, but we know about him, and we know he can be dangerous."

"Which is why we need to let Pietro go," Spyke argued. "Magneto's with the X-Men now. If anything, Quicksilver might be working for Mystique."

"I'll get Healer to fix his leg. Give him some food and water. Once he's ready, we'll start questioning him."

--------------------

Quicksilver fidgeted in his makeshift cell, if it could even be called that. He was put in a corner behind some long bone-spikes that served as bars. Pietro could get out of there anytime he wanted. They knew it. But they had insurance.

"How's the leg?" Spyke asked from the other side of the "bars."

"How's the leg?! When did you become a sardonic prick, Daniels?! Geez!" The Morlock Healer hadn't actually fixed his leg. He had just eased the pain slightly, but it was still in no condition to be used. He had been cleaned up, and he could see that his leg was twisted inward. "Your healer's a quack, you know that?"

"He's just grouchy. He doesn't trust Magneto, so he doesn't trust you. Besides, if you healed up, you'd probably get out of here without any problem."

"So has your little sewage council made a decision?"

"Not yet," Spyke told him, sitting down on a slab of rock next to Pietro's cell. The chameleon-like Facade seemed to grow right out of the wall next to Spyke. Facade's nose twitched, and he climbed off the wall. "Facade, any news?"

"None yet," Facade told him. "I've hit most of the usual spots, but there is no sign of activity. I don't think anyone is coming for him."

"Well, duh! Nobody knows I'm here," Pietro protested.

"Facade, could you double-check? Magneto and his goons can be pretty sneaky," Spyke requested.

"Do you think he's telling the truth?" Facade asked.

"I do, to be honest. And I think you're right about there not being anyone looking for him. But we can't take that chance."

"Right. I'll be back soon." Facade jumped onto the wall and vanished. Pietro noticed some movement along the wall, but soon couldn't tell if Facade had stopped moving or if he was already gone.

"You just ordered that guy to do the exact same thing he'd just done," Pietro said. "And he agreed! Is he that stupid?"

"No, he just knows we have to be careful down here," Spyke replied. "Maybe you don't understand, but it takes more than a bossy attitude to make a leader." Pietro's eyes narrowed. "You have to respect the people working with you. You can't expect anyone to listen to you if you can't listen to them."

"What are you talking about? I respected my team. And don't bring that Sentinel business up again, you've been riding that since I got here."

"I heard stories, Pietro. You were trying to make them afraid of you," Spyke explained. "That doesn't work. You're not Magneto, you know."

"I know that. I know that! I just... I just can't stand being told what to do! Naturally, someone who thinks as fast as I do should be in charge. Why doesn't everyone just accept that?" Pietro crossed his arms and snorted.

"Nobody likes being told what to do. That's why you ask. You don't order." Pietro looked away, as if refusing to accept any part of Spyke's lesson. Callisto arrived, accompanied by the lizard-like Lucid and the aged, bearded Healer. "What's the word, Callisto?"

"You're free to go," Callisto said. Healer put his hand through the bars and grabbed Pietro's leg. Pietro winced, but soon the pain was gone, and his leg was full healed. "Blindfold him."

Spyke pulled one of the bone-bars loose and Lucid walked into the cell, placing a blindfold on Pietro. Someone took his hand and led him out of the cell, and for several minutes, he walked. He could hear the echo of his footsteps, and he could feel that at several points, he was walking through mush.

"Climb," the voice of Spyke told him. Pietro began to climb up a metal ladder. He was amazed that his leg was working so well, when only minutes before it had been giving him so much pain. Once he reached the top, Spyke removed the blindfold. They stood in an alley, next to a garbage dumpster.

"So that's it, then?" Pietro asked. Spyke nodded. "Okay, then. I'll be on my way, then."

"Yeah. Stay out of trouble, Pietro," Spyke said.

"Oh, come on. Trouble can't resist me. Catch you later, Evan!" Quicksilver sped away, leaving Spyke shaking his head. He jumped back into the manhole and pulled the lid over it.

--------------------

And boy, was he right. Less than an hour after leaving the Morlock tunnels, Quicksilver was racing through the road leading out of Bayville, passing by the city limit and onto the wilderness. He swerved around what few cars and trucks he found along the road, at one point even darting in front of a trucker and giving him the finger before dashing off.

Then, there was a long stretch of road where Pietro didn't encounter anyone else. This was normal; he'd run through this road at least six times in the last month, and he rarely found anyone there except for the occasional big rig. Strangely, he only had one other companion- a black helicopter.

Yes, a black helicopter. And it was doing a very lousy job of being inconspicuous, considering it was shining a searchlight on Pietro.

Still, Pietro was determined to lose it, he didn't care why it was following him. He accelerated, forcing the helicopter to follow suit. Then, Quicksilver slowed down, letting the helicopter pass ahead. It also slowed down, turning around to see if it could still spot him. When it did, Quicksilver waved to it and continued along the road, forcing the helicopter to once again change direction.

Pietro looked ahead: there was a toll station, one that he always ran through. His favorite practice was sliding underneath the barrier, then knocking on the booth window, making faces at the attendant, and running off.

This time, he noticed that there were several armed soldiers standing in the way. Pietro skidded to a halt.

"I get it. You're trying to stop me, huh?" Pietro taunted. "That's too bad, because you can't!" Pietro turned around to run the other way, but in the brief amount of time he'd taken to taunt the soldiers, several vans had already appeared behind him, each unloading several more armed soldiers. Leading the troops was a tall black man with a shaved head and a goatee, his right eye marked with a thick black "M" tattoo.

"This is your stop, Quicksilver," the commander said. "We need to have a word with you."

"Send me an e-mail. I've got places to be, you know." Quicksilver dashed right at the commander, harshly pushing him aside and heading for the road. The commander tensed up, then pulled a white, plastic handgun from his holster. He held it out and his hand began to glow red with energy. The energy jumped into the gun and shot out of the barrel as a concentrated blast, fast enough to reach the distant Quicksilver and knock him to the ground.

"That takes care of him," the commander said. "Go pick him up."

--------------------

Pietro woke up in a dimly lit metal cell, with no recollection of how he had gotten there. He sat up, remembering only that something hit his back. His back was a little sore, as were his arms and legs- having fallen over at high speed, he must've rolled a bit. His head was also throbbing. He rubbed his face and looked around at the cell.

Nothing. Just a thick door with a small window. There wasn't even a cell across from him, just a plain wall. He walked up to the bars and tried to look around, but the entire room was curved in a circle. He realized that the cells were in the cylindrical center of the room, preventing any of the prisoners from seeing each other, or the door, if there was one.

He sat back in the cell. After an hour (or what seemed like an hour), a bottle of water appeared from a sliding compartment on the wall. He took it and quickly drank it. After that, Pietro had nothing to do except marvel at having been captured twice by two separate forces in the same day.

Pietro had lost track of the time when the commander who had taken him down arrived, joined by two masked soldiers. The commander wore a dark blue uniform with a red and yellow emblem on his shoulders. Pietro realized that he was dealing with SHIELD. The commander entered the cell with his troops and closed the door behind him.

"Pietro Maximoff, Quicksilver," the commander said. "I'm Commander John Lucas Bishop, SHIELD Department of Mutant Affairs. We've been tracking your movements for the past two months. If you didn't have such a habit of running by the same place several times, we probably never would've captured you."

"Yeah, yeah, are you arresting me for everything I've done?" Pietro asked, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes.

"Yes," Bishop replied. "SHIELD Command has declared you a danger to society. After local law enforcement and the X-Men failed to bring you down, the task fell to me. I'm not even going to bother reading off your list of crimes. They're petty, but too numerous to let you remain free. You're facing imprisonment for continued reckless endangerment of innocent lives and property."

"Don't I get a trial?!" Pietro demanded.

"This is SHIELD," Bishop explained. "You're lucky I'm even telling you why you're being held. We have the right to detain you without trial until we feel you're no longer a threat to society, even if it means a life sentence."

"Okay, so just give me my uniform and leave me alone," Pietro said, lying down on his bunk, no longer wanting to argue.

"We're not through with you yet," Bishop warned. "I can arrange to have you pardoned and released, on two conditions. The first is that you promise to stop your reckless adrenaline addiction."

"Yeah, whatever, what's the second condition?" Pietro asked impatiently.

"That you become an temporary SHIELD operative and help us find someone who's been on our suspect list for the last two years."

"You've got to be kidding. You want me to work for you now? Last time I helped SHIELD all I got was a ride home. Like I can count on you to keep your word."

"You would be given command of the mission, and you'd have a team to help you," Bishop explained.

"A team? And I'm in charge?"

"No, I'm in charge, but you will have field command," Bishop corrected. "Upon completion of your mission, you will be pardoned and released from SHIELD custody."

"One question, Bishop... why me?" Pietro asked.

"The only leads we have on our suspect are his list of associates, most of whom we know next to nothing about. The only one on the list that we have any information on is the Scarlet Witch."

"Wanda?" Pietro asked, now sitting up. "Do you know where she is?"

"No. But you might be instrumental in finding her, and your target."

"Lucas," Pietro muttered to himself.

"You know him?" Bishop asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, but I've heard of him. What do you guys know about him?"

"Nothing, except that he has psychic powers we haven't been able to measure, and according to our intelligence, he's a potential threat to national security. He and his pals have clashed with the X-Men numerous times, but they refuse to share any additional information. As per orders, we're respecting their privacy and conducting our own investigation. Your job is to track the Scarlet Witch, and through her, to find Lucas. If and when you find him, _we_ will decide what to do about him."

"Okay, what kind of team do I get?"

"We have six SHIELD operatives ready to go with you, after prep time," Bishop explained.

Pietro grinned. He realized he was now in a vital position. "SHIELD agents? Please, I can't take down a telepath with your goons. I'm going to have to pick my own team. They've gotta be people I know I can count on to get the job done."

"I know what you have in mind, Quicksilver, and it's a bad idea."

"If her own brother can't get to her, then who else are you going to find?" Pietro asked with a wry smile.

"...Done," Bishop relented.

"Good." Bishop and Pietro shook hands. "So, when do we start?"

"I have to clear this with SHIELD Command," Bishop explained. "So you're staying put for now." Pietro frowned. Bishop and the two troops left the cell, leaving a disgruntled Pietro inside.

"Director's not gonna like this, sir," one of the troops, Lieutenant Denti, said to Bishop.

"They're not, but it's my call. He's a mutant. And as you both know damn well, our agents don't do well against powerful mutants. It's going to take a team of them to get this done, and we can't let them know that this might turn out to be a suicide mission."

**Uh oh. Suicide Squad? **

**Forget it. Go to the next chapter.**


	7. Act 2: Pietro's Team

**You're going to see a few new characters introduced. Don't worry too much about them, as most won't appear for more than a few scenes. They're just there to be introduced, and then set aside to be further developed in later stories. The focus remains on the Brotherhood, Magneto, the X-Men, and Lucas, not on new characters (unlike some authors, I'd rather develop the characters I have then just dump in a bunch of new ones). Oh, and excuse the grammar.**

**Act 2, Chapter 2 (6)- Pietro's Team**

Five years after the Brotherhood disbanded, Lance Alvers was secure in his new, well-paying job as the CEO of the Lee and Kirby Department Store in Manhattan. He was married to a supermodel and had a four-year-old son, but was especially proud of his collection of classic automobiles. Sometimes, he'd fly around the city in his private helicopter and simply dump loads of cash for the commoners below to collect. As he did so, Lance puffed a cigar and adjusted his monocle, then tipped his top hat and ordered the pilot to take him to his summer home in the Catskills.

Actually, I'm lying.

Lance was stuck in a low-paying job at a gas station in New York, not a long drive from Bayville. His station didn't have a full service center, and instead just had a small stand between the pumps, where Lance could dispense cigarettes, beef jerky, and other assorted crap. The stand was small and a little cramped, though he had a portable black-and-white television set to keep him amused.

Lance was a fairly muscular man with long brown hair and a small patch of hair on his chin and a cigarette in his mouth, which he wasn't actually allowed to have on-duty, but he didn't care. Lance wore torn jeans, a black shirt and a worn brown leather jacket. He tightened his hands, covered by black, fingerless gloves, around his beer bottle. Behind the bullet-proof glass, he was invulnerable, but also terribly bored. At one in the morning, he didn't see too many customers. Which was fine, because he hated dealing with them.

Alvers had worked at the gas station for four years. Though he kept in touch with Fred and Toad, he hadn't heard from Pietro since the group split. And worse, he hadn't seen Kitty Pryde in over a year. After the Xavier Institute's expansion, Kitty was devoting more and more of her time to her job, as well as her studies. There was never a real break-up; Lance and Kitty simply drifted. Sometimes he wondered what she was up to. Sometimes he wanted to pick up the phone and call her. But every time he did, he just set it back down, afraid he'd have to tell her that he was still a nobody dispensing poisons to other nobodies at a gas station.

Nobody was there to watch him, and with no customers, he decided to light up his own poison inside the booth, though he wasn't supposed to. He probably shouldn't be drinking, either...

"'Scuse me," said a voice.

"Yeah, what's up?" Lance asked. There was a mutant outside; Lance could tell he was a mutant because he had shiny, dark-purple skin. If that wasn't enough, he had long, stringy, dark red hair. His eyes were entirely yellow and his teeth were more jagged than a normal human's. He wore a dull gray leather trenchcoat, sealed tightly, and slid $10 through the slot.

"Yeah, gimme some smokes."

"What brand?"

"Oh, fuck. Fuck me, uh..." The mutant scratched his chin (producing an odd effect, as if his chin were made of gelatin), looking at the selection. "Fuck, fuck fuck, fuckity fuck."

"You got some vocabulary there." Lance quipped.

"Motherfucker don't fuck with me. Fuck!" he yelled at the bullet-proof glass. "Bitch, do you know who I am? DO YOU HAVE ANY FUCKING CLUE WHO THE FUCK I AM?"

"No," Lance replied. "Should I?"

"DAMN FUCKING MOTHERFUCKING STRAIGHT YOU SHOULD!" The mutant expanded upwards and outwards, becoming twice his original size. He would be imposing, if he didn't look like stretched silly putty, or if his coat didn't stay its normal size. His distorted sneer looked almost like an awkward smile. "I'M GORGEOUS GEORGE, BITCH! YOU NEVER HEARD OF ME? I'M ONE OF THE NASTY BOYS, MOTHERFUCKER!"

"Oh. Really?"

"Yeah. Really." Lance had only heard of them from a 'stupid criminals' bit on a late night talk show, after one of their members had tried to rob a liquor store afterhours by climbing in through the roof, only to discover he was locked in. Apparently, they were actually high school kids who just thought they were hard criminals. "Yeah, well what brand do you want?"

"You know what? I'm gonna take 'em all." George slid his putty-like hand through the slot and proceeded to squirm his entire arm inside. Lance sighed, and pressed his cigarette onto George's hand. He quickly withdrew his hand and gripped it, letting it ooze slightly in his other hand.

"Ow! Motherfucker means business. Damn!"

"You gonna buy some cigarettes or not?"

"Yeah... yeah, Salems. Get me some Salems." Lance gave George the cigarettes and his change. "Thanks man. Hey, we're cool right? Cool. Stay cool man, stay cool." George tucked the pack into his coat and slinked away. Lance shrugged and took another drag. Wait, the Nasty Boys were all high schoolers, and he just sold one of them cigarettes? Ah well. Lance had done worse things on the job.

--------------------

Fred Dukes sat ringside at a wrestling match, wearing a black suit and sunglasses. The suit had been tailored just for him; it was probably the best-fitting outfit Fred had ever had. Fred was a massive guy, easily three times wider than a normal human, completely bald, clean-shaven and with eyes slightly sunken back among the fat covering his face, giving the impression that he was older and more mature than he actually was. His size drew many stares, not only because it was hard not to stare at a man that size, but also because no normal human could ever hope to reach his girth and still walk around.

It wasn't obvious just by looking at him, but Fred had fallen on hard times. Returning to his hometown of Lubbock, Fred asked his uncle Jack, a cattle rancher, for work. Uncle Jack, however, told Fred that he couldn't afford to house him, considering his eating habits and size. Fred insisted on pulling his own weight, all of it, even if it meant getting multiple jobs. Uncle Jack insisted that he shouldn't trouble himself, that he couldn't afford to hire any more hands, among other excuses.

Fred slowly realized that since he'd left Texas, views had changed- or more appropriately, views that hadn't applied to Fred now did. Fred's family had turned against him. Now that they knew what he was, they didn't want his kind in their homes, even if he was their flesh and blood. Only Fred's grandparents, who had raised him, still welcomed him. But for an obvious mutant like Fred, it was hard to find work. In order to ease the burden on his grandparents, Fred decided to leave Lubbock altogether and scour the state for work.

This led him to Dallas, where he worked in various labor positions before he found work as a bar bouncer for three years. While there, he was discovered by his current employer.

"Unus the Untouchable, the new American Wrestling Federation champion!" one of the promoters announced. Standing next to him was a muscle-bound, black-haired man wearing black leather pants and a tight black shirt with his own personal logo in red. This man was Angelo Unuscione, a professional wrestler who went by the stage name Unus the Untouchable. Behind him, on the canvas, was his fallen opponent, the villainous heel called Strong Guy.

After all the post-fight promotions had died down, Unus retreated backstage, away from fans or the media.

"Great performance out there, sir," Fred complimented.

"Aw, thanks, Fred," Unus replied. "Glad there was no trouble tonight." Unus had special need for a mutant bodyguard; Unus himself was a mutant, the first openly mutant professional wrestler. When he first revealed himself, several others followed suit. Their bosses at first wanted to fire the mutant wrestlers, but decided that it would spice up each event. Still, many wrestling fans were outraged that mutants were being allowed. Unus's powers allowed him to keep himself protected, very well in fact- he could create a force field around himself, hence the title 'untouchable.' But even then, he had to create the field, and if caught unprepared, Unus could still be attacked from behind. He needed someone to watch his back, and that's where Fred came in.

In the locker room, Unus and Fred were met by Unus's arch-enemy, Strong Guy, a fellow mutant. Strong Guy was taller than Unus, with an oddly proportioned body- his arms were large, but his legs were narrow. Strong Guy wore jeans, but no shirt, as well as red-tinted glasses. His head was mostly bald, except for a yellow-white shock of hair growing out of his forehead. Years ago, Unus and Strong Guy had been tag team partners who had a falling out, and since became bitter rivals.

"C'mere!" The two hugged and slapped each others' backs. "Champ, huh?"

Well, the script said that, anyway.

"Yeah," Unus said. "It feels kinda good. Sorry about you, though, pal."

"Ah, I've been a loser before, y'know?" Strong Guy chuckled. "Who's the cueball?"

"Guido, this is Fred Dukes," Unus said, putting a hand on Fred's large shoulder. "Just hired him, found him working a club."

"Fred Dukes, eh? Bodyguarding's not so bad," Guido told Fred. "Me, I used to be a bouncer for Ali Blaire. You know. Before the drugs. Heh, before the drugs, who am I kidding? If you don't mind my noticing, you're pretty big."

"Yep. I'm a mutant," Fred told him.

"Get out, me too! We should get together sometime, and go bowling," Guido said.

"You know, Guido and I have been thinking about starting our own league, something for mutants," Unus told Fred. "Maybe you could join us."

"Actually, I'm not too good at bowling," Fred admitted, showing his large fingers.

"No, a wrestling league," Unus added.

"Oh, really? That'd be great! I've always wanted to wrestle!" Fred replied enthusiastically. Despite his size, he reacted almost like a little boy who had been offered his own flamethrower. "Wait, is it gonna be staged, or can we really wrestle?"

"I don't see why not," Unus said. "I'm getting tired of acting anyway."

As Unus walked out of the arena, he was greeted by a mob of fans. Several security officers were already keeping them behind barricades, but Fred kept his eyes open. At any time, one of them-

"HEY ANUS!"

And there he was. Crazy guy, chubby, wearing a shirt with a rival wrestler's logo on it. He jumped over the barricade and ran to Unus with something silver in his hand. Quickly, Fred jumped in front of Unus and caught the crazed fanatic, lifting him over his head. He shook him until he dropped the knife in his hand, then turned him back to the ground and dropped him. Several security officers ran to him.

"Christ almighty," Unus muttered. "I liked it better when the fans were kids and not delusional teenagers. Good work, Fred."

"Just doing my job," Fred grinned. For Fred Dukes, life wasn't so bad anymore.

--------------------

"Oh yeah? Sounds great, man," Todd Tolensky, better known as Toad, said on his cell phone. Toad's long, dirty blond hair hung past his shoulders, some of it in his face, so he brushed it aside to reveal his yellow teeth and pale skin. His voice was slightly scratchier than it had been when he first joined the Brotherhood; however, he wore the same uniform, which still fit him, though it was a little tighter now.

Toad sat in a sensibly-sized metal room, behind a metal desk, across from some metal chairs. To either side was a metal door. You guessed it, Toad was in a metal lobby.

"No, it's not _that_ bad here," Toad said to the phone. "I mean, like I said, I'm used to it. The dorks ain't, but eh. I dunno-"

"_TOAD!_"

"Aaah... Freddy, listen, I'll call you back." Toad quickly put the phone down. "What do you need, boss?"

"I need for you to be working," Magneto said, stepping into the lobby. One of the doors led to the hallway of the Xavier Institute's lower level; the other led right into Magneto's office. "You have that phone for business, not for calling your friends. Now come with me, we have work to do."

"Right, boss," Toad said as he hopped over his desk. Magneto walked out the door, and Toad activated the lock near the door before following.

After five years, the expansions to the Xavier Institute were long since completed. The Institute was the name for the common grounds shared by two separate schools: the first was Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, a private school that taught junior and high school classes (since most mutants don't discover that they are mutants until around puberty, there were few elementary school aged students) as well as basic mutant-power related classes (each instructor worked with a squad of about ten each week to help train them). The second was Xavier's School for Higher Learning, a school that taught college-level courses, but did not give out degrees (though credit did transfer to other schools); the focus of this school was in giving advanced training in mutant abilities, including limited access to the Danger Room. It was an open secret that this school was less of a learning institution and more of a recruitment ground for potential X-Men. Storm was the official headmistress of the combined schools.

Two other schools had opened across the country: Xavier's School West Coast in San Francisco, staffed mostly by the second generation from the Institute, otherwise known as the New Mutants, as well as Angel himself, who had been persuaded to serve as the headmaster in addition to his financial contributions; and the Massachusetts Academy. The Academy already existed, but recently added a program for mutants sharing courses and instruction with the Xavier Institute, though the Academy was not an official Xavier franchise. Both schools trained mutants, but neither sent them on missions; their respective staff members were another matter. Professor Xavier remained at the original Xavier Institute, leaving the academic decisions to Storm and the military assignments to Magneto, focusing instead on serving as a superintendent of sorts for the combined schools.

As for Magneto, he was in charge of mission control for the X-Men and their underground facilities, and had essentially become the de facto leader of the X-Men, after Xavier decided to focus more on education than military missions. This meant that most students enrolling at the School of Higher Learning fell as much under Magneto's jurisdiction as Storm's. Cyclops remained the field leader of the X-Men, but had to meet with Magneto for clearance on every mission, something he wasn't especially happy about.

Toad's position among the Institute staff hadn't really changed much; he had little authority outside of Magneto's command, but he was cleared to enter nearly every room of the Institute's lower levels. In addition to being Magneto's personal assistant and secretary, he was also his right-hand man. Magneto taught Toad many things about the Institute and often asked him to handle technical details, feeling that Toad was more trustworthy than many of the X-Men, many of whom still hadn't completely learned to trust either Toad or Magneto.

With his technical skills bolstered under Magneto's tutelage, Toad had overseen minor additions to Institute security, communications, and even minor upgrades to the Danger Room equipment. He knew how to fly a jet, and even knew how to operate some machinery of Magneto's own invention; most of which was kept low profile. About the only thing Toad didn't have access to was Cerebro, and Toad would be the first to admit he'd have absolutely no idea how it worked.

"Make a note, Toad," Magneto dictated as the two walked down the hall. "The Danger Room's hologram projectors are running out of line, I want them re-synchronized, and take a look at the drones while you're there, some of the students have reported some glitches and I want to you to make sure they're operating normally. Also, take an order for me. I'm going to need two tons of raw steel, one ton of titanium, three tons of aluminum, and two kilograms of adamantium. Oh, and my stock of beverages is running low."

"Sounds like you got quiet a party planned," Toad said, writing everything down on his PDA.

"Just basic supplies for the students. We save a lot if I shape the raw metals myself. Are there any important events today?"

"Uh... nothin' fancy," Toad said, checking the calendar. "Oh, it's Jean's birthday tomorrow. You gettin' her somethin' this year?"

"Yes, but just a token gift. I'll give her wine again. Add another bottle of Mourvèdre to that list. As a matter of fact, take care of the drinks before anything else."

"Gotcha. Anythin' else?"

"No. Get going."

"Right, boss." Toad hopped ahead of his boss, bounding a corner and startling Cyclops, rudely hopping on ahead. "Pardon me, shades!"

"That little..." Cyclops turned to Magneto. Scott's hair was buzzed and stood up slightly, and he wore the black and gold uniform that was standard among the Xavier Institute instructors, along with a black variation of his old visor. "Magneto, we've got a situation downtown. I've got the X-Jet standing by and I'm taking Jean and Nightcrawler with me."

"Very well," Magneto confirmed. He didn't mind Cyclops taking a few teammates out to stop some minor disturbance, but Magneto grew restless. Nothing major had happened in a whole year. The last time was the appearance of Lucas and Wanda; the pair had fought the X-Men on a few occasions during the last four years, most of the time coming out on top, but still unprepared for the combination of Magneto and Professor Xavier. It troubled Magneto and they'd heard nothing from them in a year. Suspicious by nature, Magneto surmised that they were biding their time. There was nothing about this lull that he liked. Yet, he couldn't convince Professor X to actively seek them out. For now, he couldn't afford to make a move without the backing of Xavier and his X-Men.

But he knew something was going to happen. He didn't need psychic powers for that.

--------------------

Lance walked up the rickety stairs of his apartment building, carrying a bag of groceries. Fumbling for his keys, he opened the creaking door and entered his small, poorly furnished apartment. True to Lance's nature, it was grungy, it was messy, it was unorganized, and it was home.

And he had a guest.

"Lance Alvers," said the Scottish-accented man standing in what was essentially Lance's living room. He was about as tall as Lance, and apparently had a fondness for leather, as his black pants, vest, and matching jacket were made of leather. He wore a studded collar and matching bracelets, though he wore what seemed to be a formal coat over this ensemble. His mane-like blonde hair fell down to his shoulders, matching the tuft of hair below his lip. This, of course, was Lucas.

"Not again," Lance mumbled. "This has got to be the fourth time that guy's male strippers have gotten the wrong house. You're looking for Sergio, he's two doors down."

"Oh, you're a funny one," Lucas replied. "No, I'm not a male stripper."

"Fine, exotic dancer, whatever, just get out of my apartment."

"You may have heard of me, Lance. My name is Lucas, and I'm a mutant, like you. I understand you used to work for Magneto, and Mystique."

"Yeah, what about it?" Lance asked, more annoyed than anything.

"I'm putting together a little team," Lucas explained. "I could use someone with your talent and experience, Avalanche, and I know you have no love for Charles Xavier's little daycare center."

"You got that right. So what do you want?"

"Your cooperation," Lucas explained. "I have a date with Xavier. I'm going to need a strong team to keep his X-Men distracted while I tend to their old man. Do you think you could do that?"

"Fuck you," Lance told him. "I'm done with that. It's always someone against the X-Men. Magneto, Mystique, fucking high school principals... I'm done. I hate them, but I'm not gonna pick a fight with them just because some goth dick psychopath with a vendetta told me to. Get out of here."

"I have to say, I'm disappointed," Lucas said, crossing his arms. "If that's your answer, then I'll leave you be." Lucas walked around the couch on his way out, but stopped right next to Lance, then wrapped his arm around him, putting. Into Lance's ear, Lucas whispered, "Like it or not, Avalanche, you're going to be a part of this. You're going to wish you'd sided with me."

"Like I haven't heard that before," Lance said, throwing Lucas's arm off. Lucas sneered, and walked out the door. Lance rubbed his face, already realizing that he was going to have to get involved.

He moved an ashtray and an old magazine aside and picked up his phone.

--------------------

Fred Dukes walked behind Unus the Untouchable as he shopped at an electronics store in Dallas, where they lived. One of his friends had thrown a bottle at his television after his football team lost, and considering the man was a mutant, it was time for Unus to get a new one (after getting his friend to pay him for his loss).

"What do you think, Dukes?" Unus asked, sitting in a recliner in a demo area, rigged with an expensive surround sound system and a giant HD screen. "Beats my old set up, doesn't it?"

"Oh, yeah," Fred agreed. "But... uh, you sure you wanna pay that much for this?"

"No worries, I'm rich," Unus insisted with a grin. "You! Blueshirt. C'mere. I'm taking this home." A few feet away, a young girl of about fifteen was looking at portable CD players. As Unus negotiated with a salesman, Fred walked over to her. The girl was pretty- not supermodel pretty, and not Jean Grey pretty, but she certainly wasn't ugly. Just pretty enough to likely not realize she was pretty; she was a wearing denim skirt and a hooded sweatshirt with the hood up, clearly trying to hide herself. That just made Fred even more curious. He caught a glimpse of what seemed to be grayish-purple hair beneath the hood. Was she a mutant?

"That's a good one," Fred commented as the girl looked at an inexpensive player. "Good brand."

"Oh," the girl said shyly... or perhaps nervously. She looked at Fred, slightly surprised at his size. Her skin was a little pale and covered with light freckles. Her eyes were a deep purple, set behind a pair of glasses. "Really?"

"Yeah, I have one of those," Fred told her. "Works pretty well for that price. My name's Fred, by the way. Friends call me Freddy."

"My name's Ellie," she told him. It was pretty obvious that she didn't have much experience with conversation. "So, this one's good?"

"Yeah. Well, that depends on what you're looking for," Fred explained. "That one there plays mp3s, but I'm gonna be honest, I don't know how to work those. That one there, you pay for the brand name. Uh... that one, I don't know what's special about it to make it cost so much."

"But this one's good?" Ellie asked, holding her first selection.

"Yeah. That's the one I got."

"Okay. Thanks." Ellie tucked it into her sweatshirt and started to walk away.

"Whoa, wait a minute, you're just gonna take it?" Fred asked. When questioned, Ellie started to run in a panic. Fred looked back at Unus, who was filling out paperwork. None of the employees seemed to notice the running shoplifter. Quickly, Fred bounded after her, moving rather fast for a man of his bulk. He caught her by the hood and held her up to eye level. "Now listen, Ellie, it's not that I hate stealing. Some of my best friends steal. I just can't let you be so obvious about it."

"Huh?" Ellie asked. Fred set her down. Her hood fell back behind her, revealing her grayish-purple hair, falling just past her shoulders. That just confirmed Fred's suspicion that she was a mutant. "You're not gonna stop me?"

"Nah, I'm gonna help you." Fred looked around the store. He spotted a series of refrigerators and washing machines. "Tell you what. I'm gonna make a distraction. You go towards the door, and when you see an opening, run for it."

"I... uh, okay," Ellie said, still not sure if Fred was bluffing or not. She pulled her hood back over her head and inconspicuously made her way closer to the store's entrance. Once she was a safe distance away, Fred cracked his knuckles and grabbed a refrigerator, lifting it over his head.

"Yeah! Check that out!" Fred yelled loud enough for the entire store to hear. He took a washing machine with his other hand and lifted it over his head. "Can I work it or what? Can't trust a machine you can't lift over your head! Hahahaha!"

Soon, several blue-shirted employees were practically rushing over to him, either to try to get him to stop or possibly to try and sell him both appliances. Ellie noticed that everyone was looking at Fred; quickly, she ducked out and ran through the door, sounding the alarm; unfortunately, she froze as streaks of electrical energy surged through her and the alarm stalls. Now Fred's diversion was second to Ellie's power surge.

Several employees had gathered around the entrance, but all kept their distance, unsure of how to handle the situation. Fred dropped the appliances and rushed over.

"What's going on?" Unus asked, joining him in mid-run.

"No time," Fred told him. The massive mutant pushed several frightened customers out of his way and even knocked over a DVD display stand on his way to the entrance. Pushing past the useless employees, Fred ran to Ellie and put his arms around her, the electrical surges running through his body. He moved backwards, pulling Ellie out of entrance stalls and back into the store. The electrical nightmare was over, but the stalls were practically destroyed. Fred himself smoked a little, but was mostly unharmed.

Ellie, however, was unconscious.

"Lemme see her," Unus said as Fred set her down on the floor. He checked her pulse. "She's fine. Still breathing. But we'd better get her to the emergency room."

"Well what are we waiting for?" Fred asked. He picked up the unconscious Ellie and ran out the door with Unus. Unus suddenly turned back and ran to one of the managers.

"I'll give you a call in a few minutes so we can talk about the delivery."

--------------------

Lance sat on a bench outside of the mansion at the Xavier Institute, after breaking the news to Professor Xavier. He fidgeted, half-consciously searching himself for a pack of cigarettes. He growled at himself for forgetting that Summers had confiscated them when he caught him trying to smoke on the Institute grounds.

Professor Xavier had been in the Cerebro chamber since Lance had spoken to him.

"Hi," Kitty Pryde said, walking up to him in her X-Men uniform. Kitty hadn't grown too much taller, though she did look more mature. Her hair was no longer tied in a ponytail, instead trimmed fairly short, and black-and-yellow uniform left her midriff bare. Lance and Kitty hadn't seen each other in a year. They'd drifted, but Lance could tell by her body language that the fire wasn't all gone. She looked at him silently for a moment before saying, "I heard you met Lucas."

"Yeah, no big deal," Lance replied.

"It kind of is around here. He's been attacking us for years, but it's been a while since he's tried anything. It's kinda weird, you know? He's been planning revenge, but why did he wait so long?"

"I don't know and I don't care," Lance chuckled. "I keep trying to stay out of this, but someone always has to bring me back in."

"Did someone put a gun to your head and tell you to come here?" Kitty asked sarcastically.

Lance was about to respond, but instead looked away. He noticed a group of mutant kids playing basketball, one of them cheating by extending his rubber-like arms over the hoop. "How've your students been?"

"They're a handful, but it's more fun that I thought it'd be," Kitty admitted. "It sort of takes me back."

"Back to being the class nerd?" Kitty pushed him lightly and laughed.

"Hey, don't lecture me on school. You don't even have a high school diploma."

"I was working on a GED," Lance defended. "I mean, it's not like it makes a difference."

"Of course it does," Kitty said. "If you don't have an education, you're not going to get past the gas station, you know. Why don't you sign up for a few courses here?"

"Yeah, and how am I supposed to pay for them?"

"You could waive the fee in exchange for volunteering as a member of the X-Men," Kitty proposed. "I could talk to the Professor abou-"

"No way," Lance protested. "I tried the X-Men once, I'm not going back to that. I'd rather join the military."

"So why don't you?" Kitty teased.

"Maybe I will!" Lance threatened jokingly. "Sure beats all of this bullshit. I mean, you've got Magneto hanging around here now, you've got _Toad_ living in your house, and now he's too busy to hang out, Gambit doesn't seem to have trouble getting a place to stay whenever he shows up, Xavier's standards have seriously dropped."

"Maybe, but at least we're making progress," Kitty retorted. "Look at you. What do you plan to do with your life?"

"I... I dunno. I'm just gonna wait and see what happens."

"Don't wait too long." Kitty pecked him on the cheek and stood up. "I'll see you later, Lance." She walked back towards to building. Lance shrugged and leaned back on the bench.

--------------------

"You? College?" Toad asked over the phone. Lance was still driving the same crummy jeep, holding a cell phone to his ear. It had actually been a year since Lance had physically seen Toad. Despite having probably been less than fifteen feet away from Toad when he had gone to the Institute an hour earlier, Toad wasn't available- he was usually busy running an errand for Magneto. He could, however, talk on the phone while doing such. "You sure you wanna do that? I mean, it ain't easy... and it ain't cheap."

"Just community college," Lance told him. "I'm gonna see if I can't get an associate's degree."

"Okay, but in what?"

"I haven't decided yet," Lance replied. "Engineering, I guess. Or business."

"Nah, don't do business!" Toad protested. "Everyone does business. Hey, I hear there's good money in nursing."

"Fuck you, I'm not gonna be a nurse. And don't say I'm doing it for Kitty, because I'm not. Well, a little. Don't tell her that." Lance sighed. "It just feels awkward, she's already teaching, and she's with the X-Men, and she's already earned a degree in physics. And she's only twenty! How did she do all that?! And look at me, I don't even have a high school diploma. Spent the last four years working at a fucking gas station. Argh."

"Well it's that or th' army," Toad replied. "Aw, boss's callin', I gotta go." Toad abruptly hung up. Lance tossed his phone onto the passenger's seat and continued his drive.

--------------------

"You were trying to help her shoplift?" Unus asked a nervous Fred in the emergency room's waiting area. Even if he was a head shorter than Fred and a third his size, Unus was a very intimidating man, crossing his arms across his large chest. "What's the matter with you?"

"What's the problem? It was just a CD player," Fred insisted.

"You don't steal, and you don't help people steal. It's not right, Fred. I used to be that way when I was a kid. I did worse. I got out of that, and so did you."

"Well yeah, but... I dunno. I dunno what I was thinking, sir." Fred sat down, taking up about three seats. The doors opened and Ellie stepped out, a little woozy but okay, and joined by an old doctor.

"She'll be fine," the doctor said. "She just needs rest."

"What happened back there?" Fred asked.

"I'm... a mutant," Ellie confessed. "I'm not very good with electrical things."

"We'd better get you home. Where do you live?" Unus asked.

"Um... I kind of..." Ellie looked around, trying to think of a good answer. She sucked it up and admitted, "I kind of don't have one."

"Don't have one?" Unus asked skeptically.

"You ran away, didn't you?" Fred asked. "Your family didn't want to believe what you were." Ellie looked down and nodded. "C'mere." Ellie went to him and Fred wrapped his arms around here. If there was anyone who understood that, it was Fred. "I guess you can probably tell I'm a mutant, too. So's my boss. It's okay. Nothing to be ashamed of." Fred laughed to himself.

"What's so funny?" Unus asked.

"Heh, I sound like one of the Xavier dorks," Fred chuckled. "Boss, could we...?"

"Could we what?" Unus stared back at him. Catching his message, he shook his head. "Look, I can give her a place to stay for a few days, but I can't go takin' in strays. Now come on, let's get out of here. Hospitals give me the creeps."

--------------------

"So, you're a bodyguard?" Ellie asked, sitting in Unus's large kitchen with Fred, eating a bowl of soup, while Fred ate a sandwich. Unus had already gone to sleep. The house was larger than Fred was used to, but it only made sense for a professional wrestler to have a large house. Not quite the mansion Xavier had, but Fred wasn't about to complain. Unus didn't need protection at all times, but he'd allowed Fred to move in when the large mutant had difficulty finding an apartment that could accommodate him.

"Yep," Fred said proudly between bites. "See, Unus is a mutant, and a lot of people don't like mutant celebrities, so I gotta keep an eye open. That's why I'm living here, too."

"What can you do?" Ellie asked.

"Nothing too fancy. I just got a lot of muscle, and a lot of bulk. But pretty much nothing can hurt me."

"I wish I had that power," she said.

"You wouldn't like it," Fred admitted. "You can't go anywhere without people staring. Plus, they'd call you things like Blob. That's my nickname, y'know."

"You let people call you that?" Ellie asked. "Doesn't it hurt?"

"Used to, but I got thick skin now. I kind of like it now. But yeah, what are your powers?"

"Oh... well, I haven't really figured them out," Ellie said, brushing some hair out from behind her glasses. "I hear a lot of mutants get their powers in their teens. All that happened to me was my hair and eyes changed color. Then I kept getting static shocks. When I touch machines sometimes, they just kind of stop working."

"Sounds like you just need to get used to them," Fred suggested.

"Well, that's not it. My dad was yelling at me one day... he kinda yelled at me a lot since my hair changed color... but I threw my hands at him and he fell. He stood up, all woozy, and it took days before he could see straight. He was so angry... that's when I left."

"Sounds tough." Fred had never been known for his verbal abilities.

"I really appreciate you and your boss letting me stay," Ellie said, smiling slightly. "But I don't know where to go from here." Fred closed his eyes, and mentally prepared himself for what he was about to tell her. Almost as if holding back vomit, Fred tried to squeeze the words out. Finally, he told her.

"I know a place," Fred blurted finally, half-startling Ellie. "It's in New York. Bayville. There's a school there..."

"The Xavier School?" Ellie asked, interested.

"Yeah. I kinda got connections there," Fred said, priding himself on it now that he knew she had heard of it.. "I've got a friend who works there. Works for Magneto himself. I used to work for Magneto too, you know. I've got another friend who's dating one of the teachers." Fred was aware that Lance and Kitty's relationship was over as far as he knew, but it sounded good. "The X-Men even asked me to help them fight Apocalypse."

"Really?" Ellie lit up. "But, I don't have any money... and I don't want to have to make you guys pay for anything else."

"Actually, I don't remember what their payment situation is," Fred admitted. "I think regular classes are free. Either way, I can make a few calls and get you all set up."

"Thank you, Fred," she said. "Thank you so much."

"Aw, don't mention it," Fred grinned. This thing about helping people wasn't so bad.

"So... what was it like fighting Apocalypse?" Ellie asked with all the curiosity of a little girl wanting to hear an adventure story.

"Well, it was like this. Me and some of my buddies were sitting around at home, and all of a sudden, one of the X-Men knocks on the door..."

--------------------

"Welcome, Professor Xavier," the computerized female voice said.

Professor Xavier donned the Cerebro helmet and mentally activated the main system. The lights on the bridge lit up in a sequence, leading from the door to the main unit, and then to the console. Once the device reached full power, the lights around the spherical chamber dimmed as more of the Institute's self-generated power went into Cerebro.

The tile panels on the wall faded away, showing him in infinite void, through which he could see the clouded, vague images of everyone his mind could reach, people in Bayville, people in foreign lands, and people who were paranoid that someone might be looking through their head.

But Professor Xavier didn't need to find these people. He ignored all the thought patterns he sensed, focusing only on a single mind, which he soon found.

Or rather, it found him.

"Hello, father," the voice echoed in his head.

"David... David!"

"Don't bother looking for me. We'll see each other soon enough." And then, Lucas disappeared.

--------------------

The X-Men scrambled through the lower levels as alarms and sirens went off. Cyclops led the charge as his team finished putting on their uniforms in mid-run. Near the exit was Toad, crouched on the floor and waiting for the group.

"Magneto says he wants th' team split into two," Toad relayed. "One half covers the front, th' other gets th' back."

"That's what we usually do when alarms are tripped on both sides," Cyclops growled. "Tell him it's already been covered."

"Th' automated defenses went offline," Toad explained, hopping along Cyclops as the team exited into the mansion. "You're gonna have to rely entirely on th' team."

"Yes, Toad, I'm aware of that. We know how to do our jobs." Toad stopped hopping and let the team pass him.

**Uh oh. **

**Okay, so who did we meet? Gorgeous George, Unus the Untouchable, Strong Guy and a girl named Ellie. Okay. Who the hell are they?**

**Gorgeous George is a member of the Nasty Boys, the unfortunately named group of minions who once worked for super-scientist and general sexual predator/drag queen Mr. Sinister. I don't think anyone except their creators took them seriously. He will not appear again in this story.**

**Unus is one of the older X-Men villains. He was an early ally of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and a criminal partner of the Blob. He was also a wrestler. What you've seen so far is about as much of a role as he plays in this story.**

**Strong Guy is, of course, Strong Guy. He used to be with X-Factor, back when Havok was leading the team. These days, he's with Jamie Madrox's detective agency... also called X-Factor. Jamie's a kid here, so it's best to assume they're not really familiar with each other. We're done with Guido.**

**And our new friend Ellie happens to Phantazia, aka Eileen Harsaw... a relatively obscure member of Toad's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants from the 90's. I won't get into her vaguely electric powers right now, since they're actually pretty complicated. For all intents and purposes, this slightly renamed version of Phantazia is a blank slate; the original Phantazia had little personality beyond "HA HA I AM EVIL!" She'll put in another minor appearance, but otherwise she's done for the story.**

**Hey, are you out of food yet? Go get some more. Bring me something. Seriously, bring me something, I'm hungry.**


	8. Act 2: Lucas's Gang

**Two more characters are introduced here. Like the last chapter, these new characters aren't major additions, though they will be more active than the cast additions from the last chapter. Oh, and excuse the grammar.**

**Act 2, Chapter 3 (7)- Lucas's Gang**

Cyclops stood at the front steps of the mansion, finger on his visor's trigger. Wind rustled the grass on the front lawn and clouds overhead cast a shadow on the mansion ground. He stood with Jean, Nightcrawler, Colossus and Rogue, all watching and waiting for any sign of the intruders. The automated laser turrets had all been destroyed, but the intruders were nowhere to be found.

"Stay alert," Cyclops said. "Defend this line. Whatever happens, don't let anyone in."

And then, their first guest appeared, a giant red form crashing through the front gates. Of all people, the unstoppable Juggernaut took the direct route, screaming as the bent metal bars flew to either side. Immediately, Jean Grey lifted him off his feet and propelled him upwards.

"Simple enough," Nightcrawler commented.

"Not to worry!" Pyro yelled, now a bit taller than the last time the X-Men had seen him and with wilder hair, though he was dressed in his bright orange Acolyte uniform. Standing on the Institute wall, the trees around him burned and the fire spread, quite literally like a horde of snakes slithering down the wall and across the grass. A hooded cobra grew out of Pyro's flamethrower, growing in size and hissing down at the team, its eyes glowing blue eyes and its voice drawn from the fire that created it. Cackling, Pyro wiggled his fingers, playing an imaginary flute for a moment as the snakes danced.

"YOW!" Nightcrawler jumped away from the path of the snake and teleported onto the wall, pushing Pyro over. Pyro wiped the grass from his face and looked up with a sneer. Nightcrawler pushed him back down as he landed on his back, looking to sabotage his tank, but an invisible force pulled him away and slammed him against the wall.

"HahahaHAHAHAHA!" Pyro yelled. "It's not going to be that easy today, mate!" Juggernaut landed harshly in front of Jean and threw her aside.

"Hey, why'd you let him go?" Cyclops asked.

"I didn't!" Jean reached for Juggernaut before he could make it to the mansion, but she found it very difficult to grasp him. A team of fiery knights on horseback rode across the lawn, burning the grass and leaving a trail of smoke behind them. Pyro ran after his creations, practically skipping with child-like excitement.

"We need some help on the south end!" Cyclops announced.

--------------------

"There's nobody over here," Storm replied through her communicator, guarding a similar line at the north end of the estate, standing in the back yard near the swimming pool. "I can send some of my team, but I don't want to leave the north end vulnerable. Colossus, you're needed at the front gate." Storm waited by the pool with Kitty and Iceman. Colossus nodded and headed off.

"Looks like we've got company!" Iceman alerted the others. A third mutant appeared, a disgusting man whose skin and muscle tissue were made of a thick, blue jelly, allowing his black skeleton to be seen as well as his bulging yellow eyes. Iceman's beam froze the mutant Sack's left arm and the jelly shattered, but it immediately grew back, oozing out of Sack's skeletal joints and forming a new layer of jelly as if nothing had happened.

"Gross!" Iceman yelled. Sack continued forward until he grappled Iceman with his gelatinous form and pressed against him, absorbing Iceman into him and surrounding him with his skin. Once trapped inside, Iceman was completely immobile, pinned against Sack's skeleton. Sack raised his arms, also raising Iceman's, and released a white ice beam against the X-Men. Storm countered it with a bolt of lightning.

"No good, he's got all of Bobby's power," Kitty said.

"I'm going to blast him, Kitty, get ready to catch him!" Storm redirected the lightning upwards and blasted Sack back a few feet, where Kitty phased and grabbed Iceman's body and effectively held Sack in her grip. Sack's skull shifted inside his gelatinous head, spinning vertically until it was staring at Kitty upside-down. Startled, Kitty released the blobby mutant and fall backwards on the floor.

"Are we really losing to a tub of Jell-o?" Kitty remarked, rubbing her head. The fourth mutant had been hiding on the roof the entire time- she jumped off with a graceful flip and kicked Storm in the back, landing gently on the back steps of the mansion. This was Psylocke, a beautiful Asian fighter with a dark blue one-piece suit with a red belt and a long, ceremonial sash hanging from it. She wore long gloves and leggings and on her upper arms and a mask over her mouth. Her dark violet hair had light purple streaks and was held back in a long tail. Each hand held a small sword, both adorned with red ribbons that matched her sash.

"We have a fourth one," Storm announced. "Stay alert, I don't think we've seen them all just yet." Storm flew forward, kicking Psylocke and knocking her against a tree and dropping her swords. Storm let the wind guide her gently back onto the grass, only to find that Psylocke was already on her back, clinging to her torso with her legs and pressing her fist against Storm's temple. A reddish-purple spark later and Storm dropped.

"We need some help back here!" Kitty yelled into her communicator.

"Did someone say help?" Toad said as he jumped out, ordered by Magneto to assist the team. Watching Iceman trapped in slime and Psylocke standing over a defeated Storm, Toad remarked, "What the... what's goin' on here?"

"She has some kind of psychic knife," Kitty noted. Kitty rushed at Sack and flew into him, pulling Iceman out in the process. He began to cough up blue ooze, but was otherwise alright. A dagger-like blade of light extended from Psylocke's fist. Kitty tried to punch and kick her, but Psylocke swiftly dodged Kitty's attack, moving with an almost carefree grace. She kicked against a tree and jumped away just before an ice beam froze the branches.

Toad, meanwhile, spat a glob of slime at Sack's face. Sack only absorbed the slime, which quickly dissolved inside Sack's skin.

"Oh, sick! That thing eats slime!"

--------------------

"HEEEY!" Pyro cried as Jean threw him against Juggernaut, who only caught him and threw him back. Jean flew out of the way, but Pyro landed right on Nightcrawler, knocking him out. Before Pyro could gloat, he was lifted into the air by his flame tank. He looked over at Jean, who shrugged.

"Enough," Magneto bellowed, standing at the school's entrance, wearing his helmet. Behind him was Professor Xavier.

"No, no!" Pyro protested. "Not NEARLY enough!" He aimed both flamethrowers at Magneto and fired, but tank suddenly crumpled inward, exploding. Pyro fell to the pavement, rolling to put out the fire on his back. Juggernaut, the only remaining mutant on the front lawn, was lifted into the air by Magneto. Rogue flew up to him and reached into his helmet, touching Juggernaut's face. After a few moments, Juggernaut went limp, and Magneto let him drop. Rogue clutched her head, feeling faint after absorbing Juggernaut's power and memory.

"That's it for the front," Cyclops said.

"Guys, we need help over here!" Iceman said through the communicator.

"Right. Jean, Colossus, follow me," Cyclops ordered. "Rogue, take a break. Magneto, can you hold the front side?"

"Yes, go," Magneto replied. Cyclops motioned for the others to follow him, with Rogue carrying the unconscious Nightcrawler, to be left at a safe place. Magneto and Xavier were left alone with the unconscious Pyro and Juggernaut, waiting on the front steps of the mansion, Magneto standing halfway down the steps and Xavier at the top landing. From the right perspective, they almost looked to be about the same height.

"Show yourselves," Xavier demanded. "It's just us now."

"Were you afraid we'd hurt your precious X-Men?" Lucas mocked, leaning against the angel fountain's rim. Lucas had been using his telepathy to cloak himself and his second-in-command from the X-Men; but Xavier had seen right through the ruse, as had Magneto. "That's what we brought friends for. Now, it's just the two of you, and the two of us."

Next to Lucas was his partner, Wanda Maximoff. The Scarlet Witch's basic outfit was a strapless bodysuit made of tight-fitting red vinyl and decorated with black belts, two of which hugged the area beneath her breasts and raised them slightly. Long leggings, made of the same material as her outfit, reached up to her thighs, and a red coat covered her arms and shoulders. A black choker bore an ankh and several plain, silver rings adorned her fingers. Her raven hair reached down to her shoulders and seemed more well-groomed than it had been before, but most noticeably, her figure had improved, growing from that of a cute teenager to the shapely curves of a grown woman. Her decision to wear red only served to highlight her beautiful, grayish-blue eyes.

"Father," she muttered. "It's over."

Lucas and Wanda had clashed with the X-Men before, but each time, were defeated by the combined strength of Magneto, Xavier, and the X-Men. This time, they returned with renewed confidence. Now they had a small team to keep the X-Men busy. Now their months of training and further honing their skills would pay off.

"Boys, join the party in the backyard," Lucas said. He snapped his fingers, and Pyro stood back up. Juggernaut was beginning to shake off the effects of Rogue's touch. They ran away from the front yard, leaving the four completely alone. "Now for a little family reunion."

--------------------

With Juggernaut and Pyro back in the mix, things in the backyard got wild. Psylocke threw a matchbook to Pyro and he was back. He lit a match without missing a beat and waved it, creating a giant fire whip. Iceman took it upon himself to take Pyro down.

Psylocke had already set her sights on Jean. Jean tried stopping her telekinetically, but whenever Psylocke waved her psychic knife, Jean lost control for a moment.

Juggernaut and Colossus were going head to head, grappling and exchanging punches. Neither seemed to have an obvious advantage.

Kitty had tried to phase Sack into a tree, but the plan backfired when Sack absorbed her. Rogue was trying to clobber him using the strength borrowed from Juggernaut, but Sack just kept phasing through her fists.

Toad was nowhere to be found.

--------------------

"Wanda, we don't have to fight," Magneto said as Wanda fired hex bolts at him. Magneto hovered around the blasts, creating small electromagnetic shields with his hands to disperse any stray hexes. "I've reformed. We can make everything right again."

"No, you're the same as ever!" Wanda yelled. "You'll never change, and that's why I'm going to finish you!" Though Magneto and the Scarlet Witch were active in their duel, Xavier and Lucas, by contrast, didn't move at all. The two simply stood there, staring each other down, as if waiting for the other to make the first move. In reality, their battle had shifted to the psychic plane;

"David, I know you're still in there," Xavier called, standing in the stormy psychic void, free from his wheelchair. "Fight him. This isn't you. Lucas is not real!"

"I'm as real as they come, father, and it's time I showed you just what I'm made of!"

"Lucas, you do not want to do this."

"I've wanted to do this longer than you can imagine!" Lucas, or rather, David Haller with a transparent image of Lucas superimposed over him like a hollow shell, lunged at Xavier, attacking with every ounce of strength he had, delivering Juggernaut-like blows and knocking his father around like a rag doll, but Xavier only returned to his feet, allowing Lucas to bring another barrage to his face.

"David, please stop this," Xavier pleaded. "I can help you."

"And where were you when I needed your help the most?!" Both David and Lucas screamed. "What kind of a man abandons his own child, just so he can go off and live his own dreams? Didn't you think that maybe your own boy needed you?!"

"What do you want? Do you want to kill me, David?"

"Isn't it painfully obvious?" Lucas smashed his fist into Xavier's face.

Outside, in the physical world, Magneto was trapped in a hex field powered by Wanda, caged like an animal. Despite his struggles, he couldn't break out; his powers were gone, and his physical strength was leaving him.

"Wanda, please!" Magneto pleaded. "Look at what you've become! If you kill me, you'll drive another wedge into your soul, you'll be tainted with the stain of murder!"

"Something you're very familiar with!" Wanda screamed. "How many people have you killed, father? One? Ten? A hundred?! You damned hypocrite, don't you lecture me about murder!" The hex only intensified. Magneto felt every inch of his body sting. She could've killed him much faster, but he realized that she intended to torture him first. He collapsed to the ground on all fours, unable to hold himself up. "I'm going to show you the pain you caused me! You locked me away so you wouldn't have to deal with my power, do you have any idea what it's like to be treated like a prisoner your whole life?!"

"I do, Wanda..."

"I loved you, and I thought that you loved me!" Wanda's attack intensified and tears, tinted with tiny blue sparks, began to fall from her face. Magneto continued his struggle, but his power was nothing compared to Wanda's rage. The hex energy began to sting him like millions of tiny swords jabbing him at every point of his body.

--------------------

"I won't fight you," Xavier resigned. He stood up, perfectly calm, ignoring the violent swirl of clouds around him in the psychic plane. Lucas only growled in frustration.

"Are you trying to humiliate me, old man?" Lucas yelled.

"I'm trying to avoid fighting you, Lucas. I could hurt David."

"You'd be doing me a favor," Lucas replied. He flew at Xavier once more, but this time, Xavier countered- he shoved his arm into Lucas's head and reaching his son David. Lucas was stunned, unable to move. He could feel David growing stronger inside him, and his own strength was quickly fading. Lucas knew that if he persisted, he could free David.

Then, he felt someone behind him, in the real world.

"Wanda! Wanda, watch out!" Lucas tried to shout, but the words didn't come out. He gathered as much of his power as he could and reached up, taking hold of Xavier's arm and trying his best to force it out. Xavier quickly retracted it, not because Lucas had forced him, but because he feared Lucas's interference could damage David's psyche.

--------------------

Watching the battle, Toad hesitated. He knew where his loyalties were, and he knew what had to be done, even if he hated himself for the rest of his life. Toad took a deep breath and ran.

As Wanda continued to power the blue hex cage over her father, Toad jumped at her with an outstretched leg, connecting to Wanda's back. The blow spun Wanda around three times as she fell to the ground, landing on her back. With the hex cage gone, Magneto was free again and his power began to return. He saw his daughter Wanda on the ground, unconscious; sitting nearby was Toad, looking very much confused and startled.

"I'm sorry, Wanda," Toad said to his fallen friend. "I had to." Just feet away, Lucas snapped back into the real world when he realized Wanda was down. Now he faced not only his father Xavier, but Magneto, who was mostly immune to Lucas's attacks.

"It's not over!" Lucas yelled, panicking. He sent out a mental signal to whatever goons were still awake and ordered a retreat. He turned to Wanda, only to find the disgusting Toad sitting over her, checking her life signs. "Disgusting little pest, keep your slimy paws off of her!" Lucas telekinetically threw Toad aside and carried Wanda over to him. In a flash of light, they vanished.

Professor Xavier watched as Pyro, Sack and Psylocke retreated. A telepathic message from Jean told him Juggernaut was unconscious.

"Are you alright, Charles?" Magneto asked as he leaned on Toad as a crutch.

"I'm not hurt, if that's what you're asking... Magnus... your face..."

"What?" Magneto felt his face. Toad hadn't noticed it until then; Magneto had aged several years, wrinkles appearing on his face and bags under his eyes. His entire body had thinned slightly. Magneto pulled off his helmet and felt the rest of his head. "I... I'm old... Wanda hexed my enhancements, she must have started to reverse them... Charles, did you make any progress with David?"

"I tried to reach him, and in the process, I damaged Lucas's psyche," Xavier explained. "That should weaken him, and hopefully make him easier to find."

"He is our priority," Magneto reaffirmed, standing on his own and pushing Toad away. "Once Lucas is gone and David restored, we can work on rehabilitating Wanda, this time in a more safe manner."

--------------------

Lance sat on his couch, looking through the course catalog for Westchester Community College with an open beer on the folding table nearby. He wasn't too far into it before he had a knock at the door. He put down the catalog and answered.

"Hey, Lance!" Pietro Maximoff exclaimed, throwing his arms out. Pietro wasn't a heavily built man, but his body was well-toned and well-defined, showed off by the tight jeans he wore and the tighter burgundy button-down shirt hugging his chest, though the top few buttons were undone, revealing both the top of his chest and a small gold necklace. The first thing he noticed about Lance was his hair. "Still in need of a haircut, I see."

"Uh, Pietro! Hey..." Lance sputtered, genuinely surprised. He hadn't seen his old teammate in years. "Uh, what have you been up to?"

"Oh, just playing an important role in modern society by being a social deviant. How about you?"

"Same," Lance replied. "Come on in, man, it's been a while. You want a drink?"

"No, I'm good, thanks." Pietro stepped inside and marveled at the surroundings. "Geez, this looks like the old house."

"Yeah, I found an interior decorator who was willing to do it for me," Lance joked, sitting back down on his couch. "I heard you were across the country."

"Please, I can be in SoCal one minute and Miami the next, you know that." Pietro helped himself to a seat on a nearby folding chair. "I've just been drifting from place to place. It's a lot more boring than I expected."

"What'd you think, there'd be a party everywhere you went?" Lance asked.

"Kind of. But anyway, I've got a new job."

"Really," Lance said, disinterested.

"Yeah, I'm with SHIELD now."

"Really? What a coincidence, I'm with the KGB."

"I'm serious," Pietro replied. "It's like this... I've been making such a nuisance of myself that SHIELD had to step in. They locked me up and gave me two choices. Rot in prison, or work for them. Naturally, I laid down some terms and we had a deal."

"No way," Lance shook his head. "That's your new job? You're dealing meth or something, right?"

"No, damn it, I'm not a dealer. I'm not making this up." Pietro lifted his pant leg to reveal a small tracking device attached to his leg. "I could get it off easy, but I think this is a nice opportunity. They have a mission lined up for me, too," Pietro explained. "And I'm putting together a team."

"A tea..." Lance stopped, a look of frustration quickly washing over his face. "Oh, fuck you, Pietro, I knew you wouldn't show up if you didn't want something..."

"Hear me out, Lance," Pietro insisted, leaning forward. "I'm getting the Brotherhood back together. All we have to do is a single mission for SHIELD. That would be our only obligation. After that, I've got a pardon and I'm free to go."

"Okay, what do the rest of us get?" Lance asked.

"A huge fee from SHIELD," Pietro assured him. "Don't worry about it, I negotiated with them. We're the only ones who can do this, so they're willing to pay you guys a truckload of money for doing this. I don't get anything except a pardon, but hey, it'll be fun."

"I'm not doing it," Lance replied, rubbing his forehead.

"Oh, come on, you didn't even hear the mission."

"I don't care, I'm not doing it. I said I was tired of this superhero shit. I haven't worn my costume since... hell, since Apocalypse. I don't even know if I still have it anymore. Fred's got his wrestling thing, Toad's been pretty successful with his job. We don't need this."

"Lance, that's why I need you. If I get you onboard, the others will follow... besides, we're going after one of our own."

"What?" Lance asked, confused.

"Wanda. We're going after Wanda. SHIELD says she's been hanging out with that Lucas guy. That's why it has to be us, because Wanda's our only lead to finding his hideout."

"Damn it..." Lance threw his head into his hands. "He was right..."

"What?" Pietro asked.

"Lucas came here yesterday. He wanted me to join some team of his. I told him to fuck off. I had no idea Wanda was still in with him."

"She is. Lucas is our target, but in order to find him, we need to find Wanda first."

"So go to Xavier!" Lance shouted. "This Lucas guy's shielding her, too. If in four years Xavier and Magneto couldn't find them, what makes you think you can?"

"I don't know!" Pietro yelled back. "But I've got to try. She's my sister, Lance. I'm not too happy that she's involved with this guy. And... I'm not happy that I went so long without trying to stop her. The sooner we get her and take him down, the better. I know I haven't been the most... moral person, but I do care about my sister. Toad'll probably agree, but I can't do this without you and Blob. I need my team, Lance."

Lance looked down at the half-folded course catalog on his table, and took another sip from his bottle. "How much is SHIELD offering?"

"$50,000. Each." Lance finished the rest of his beer and wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his jacket.

"I'm gonna regret this... I'm in."

--------------------

"So, how does it look?" Toad asked, holding a mirror for Magneto in his office. Magneto looked at himself, feeling his face again, tugging at it here and there. "I mean, I ain't sayin' you look bad, I just-"

"Quiet," Magneto ordered. Once he had finished inspecting himself, he said, "It's nothing to worry about. I couldn't have aged more than twenty years. I'm certainly not showing my true age. Even if my body is weakened, my powers haven't diminished. I'm not in the least happy with what you did, Toad, but given the circumstances, your foolish action may have saved my life." That was about as close to a compliment as Toad could expect, and he took it. "Now, go."

"Uh, go where?" Toad asked.

"Anywhere. Just get out."

"Right, boss. Whatever you say." Toad quickly hopped out of Magneto's office, just as Professor Xavier entered. "I've had no luck pinpointing his location," Xavier explained. "I had a trace of him in Canada, but it's gone now."

"And Wanda?"

"Nothing on Wanda, or any of their allies. Lucas already persuaded Cain to join him, something not even Mystique could do. I think he may be gathering more allies from a collection of our worst enemies."

"Your worst enemies, perhaps," Magneto said. "I've made sure to keep my list an enemies small."

"I don't doubt that at all," Xavier replied cynically. A door opened and Toad bounded in, landing in front of the older pair.

"You rang?" Toad asked. Magneto looked quizzically at Xavier.

"I did," Xavier replied. "As fierce and irritable as she is, Wanda is not a cruel person. Perhaps some of the hidden compassion Toad saw in her may help sway her away from Lucas's influence."

"That'll only work if Magneto ain't around," Toad suggested. "'Cuz just having him or Pietro around sort of makes things difficult. Hey, what if you two split up?"

"Separate, we are easier targets," Magneto said. "Wanda will have difficulty locating me, but I have no doubt that Lucas, or one of his associates, could find me with little trouble."

"I think Toad may have something," Xavier said. Magneto's eyes widened almost comically at the suggestion. He blinked a few times. "You can cloak yourself from psychic probing and even Cerebro. That alone makes you difficult to find."

"But what if they attack again while I'm not here..."

"That's a risk we'll have to take," Xavier stated. "If we can draw them out, your absence will likely keep Wanda from reacting too harshly to us."

"Well, she's gonna be more pissed if she finds out Magneto ain't actually here," Toad explained.

"What do you suggest, then?"

"I... I dunno. You're the brains here. This is hard enough as it is." Toad scratched his head. "Man, I feel like a traitor sittin' here."

"We're not trying to hurt her, Toad, far from it," Xavier explained. "You're helping us to help Wanda. If you take a leave of absence now, Magnus, it will make us seem overconfident. With any luck, Lucas will take advantage and try a second attack with little preparation."

"If that happens, the team should focus on distracting Wanda," Magneto said. "That should give you enough room to disable Lucas, and then Wanda."

"If I didn't know better," Toad interjected, "I'd say you guys had already thought this out."

"We're just very good at thinking on our feet," Xavier defended. "I think I should leave the details of your whereabouts up to you. The less I know about it, the better."

"Very well. Prepare to issue a statement to the press," Magneto said, standing up. As soon as Xavier had left the room, Magneto called his helmet and slipped it on. "Come, Toad. We have to prepare."

"Oh, I'm comin', too?" Toad asked, hopping up to Magneto.

"Yes. I have something I'd like to work on during my vacation."

--------------------

Fred walked through Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport with Ellie, who carried a small backpack as her only luggage. Together, they were a rather comical sight; the massive man, dressed in a bodyguard's black suit, accompanying a small girl wearing frumpy clothing. For all anyone knew, she was the president's daughter. Fred had been rigorously searched at every checkpoint, as if he was somehow able to conceal weapons inside his large body. They reached the proper gate and sat down; Fred took two seats.

"I just can't believe that you've met so many famous people," Ellie said, now talking more openly to Fred. "Professor Xavier, the X-Men, Magneto, Apocalypse, Unus the Untouchable... how do you keep that from going to your head?"

"Ah, I'm just a simple country boy at heart," Fred chuckled. "Who knows, maybe they'll ask you to join the X-Men some day. You'll meet tons more people than I did."

"Well, I don't know if I wanna be an X-Man," Ellie said, "But I think the school might be fun. How come you never went?"

"Kind of a long story," Fred explained. "I might tell you sometime." The PA announced the next flight. "That's you."

"Thanks for setting this up for me," Ellie said. She gave Fred a hug, or as close as someone of her size could give to a man that large. "You're really cool, Fred. Let's stay in touch."

"Sure thing. Heh. Have fun!" Ellie waved one last time before heading out the gate. Fred sat back down to reflect. Sure, their conversations could've been a little more interesting, but he was new to the nice guy thing. Outside of the Brotherhood and Unus, she was about the only person he'd ever met who didn't treat him like a big, dumb freak. He liked that. Even if he got nothing out of it, he also liked helping Ellie.

It wasn't often that girls talked to Fred. Ellie didn't see him as the Blob, she saw him as Fred Dukes. No girl had ever really treated him that way, except maybe Wanda, who now hated him. And Ellie was pretty cute, too. But Fred considered her more like a little sister, albeit one he had only know for a few days; it never took long for Fred to become attached to someone he liked, and that wasn't always a good thing.

Fred moved to the window, where he saw an enthusiastic Ellie wave to him from her seat aboard the plane. Fred waved back, then a thought occurred to him.

He hoped nobody would tell the guys he'd sent her. After all, he had a reputation to uphold.

--------------------

Nearly an hour later, Fred pulled into the driveway of Unus's mansion in an upscale gated community. The two story house was probably much more than Unus needed, given that only he and Fred lived there. Fred parked his black pickup truck outside the garage and stepped out, letting the vehicle bounce as the weight shifted.

Upon entering the house, Fred was surprised to find that Unus was entertaining a guest.

"Fred!" Unus called, seated in the living room with none other than Pietro Maximoff, two glasses of beer lying on the coffee table (with Pietro's being the least empty of the two). "Your old friend stopped by for a visit. We've been talking for the last hour about your old job."

"Pietro?" Fred asked, scratching his head. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, as I was explaining to Angelo here," Pietro began, "I was in the neighborhood. We've been talking all about Magneto, and Mystique."

"Oh. I hadn't said anything about that," Fred told him, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, how come you never told me you rubbed elbows with these people?" Unus asked. "I knew about the mutant gang, and the X-Men, but I had no idea you and your friend here were working for righteous causes." Fred looked at Pietro, wondering what he had told Unus to get him to believe Magneto and Mystique fought for 'righteous causes.'

"It's kind of a long story," Fred explained.

"I've already told it," Pietro said. "Which brings me back to the reason I stopped by. SHIELD wants us to do a job for them. You'll get a paycheck for it, and you can come back here when you're done, no hassles."

"Wait, I can't just-"

"Fred, it's alright," Unus said. "Go ahead and do this. It's not every day SHIELD asks you to help them out. I'd kill for a chance like that. Don't worry about me. I'll get a temp. I'll be here when you get back."

Fred wanted to flat-out refuse Pietro, but Unus's support made it difficult for him to do so, especially with both men in the room. The truth was that even though they parted on friendly terms, he didn't want to work with Pietro again. What if the mission involved Magneto again? Or the X-Men? Fred didn't want to deal with any of that.

"But you'll never get the others to-"

"I've got Lance," Pietro boasted. "I'll meet with Toad later in the week."

"You got Lance to agree?" Fred wondered. "Well... I guess if he thinks it's a good idea..."

Pietro's face briefly turned into a sneer. Even when he was hundreds of miles away, Lance still had a greater pull on the Brotherhood than Pietro himself. Pietro quickly turned the sneer into a smile and said, "He does. And so will Toad. But we need the whole team for this to work."

"I... uh..." Fred hesitated, trying to think of an excuse not to go. But, he couldn't think of a reason not to. He didn't need to hear the particulars of the mission, either; he knew he'd be filled in later. "Alright. Count me in."

**Okay, so who did we meet? Sack and Psylocke. Psylocke is self-explanatory, but Sack is an obscure character from a Morlock offshoot called Gene Nation. Scrap that, he's essentially a blank slate here. Also, he's mute.**


	9. Act 2: Reconciliation

**Time for more. Oh, and excuse the grammar.**

**Act 2, Chapter 4 (8)- Reconciliation**

Magneto landed softly on a cliff on the mountain, a nameless formation next to Mount Humiliation, a short distance from Bayville and former site of a survival camp, which had since closed. Hovering behind Magneto was an all-purposed suitcase of sorts in the form of a giant floating orb. Clinging to the smooth surface was Toad, who finally let go and landed roughly on the rocky ground.

"I ain't ever doin' that again!"

"Quiet." Magneto walked into a small mine shaft, not unlike one Toad had scouted years earlier. Magneto beckoned, and his luggage (and a hopping Toad) followed. Magneto could easily find a way to pierce the darkness, but being that Toad could see clearly in the dark, Magneto decided to take advantage and use him as a seeing-eye frog. "Toad, lead the way."

"Uh, me? What am I looking for, exactly?"

"An M."

"M? Yeah, I can do that." Toad hopped forward, followed by a hovering Magneto. There was a mine cart trail on the ground, covered in dust, and a wooden frame running through the shaft, with some boards having already fallen off. After a minute, he saw that some boards had been fastened to the rock wall in a crude 'M' pattern. Actually, it looked more like " 7", but close enough. "Found it."

"Stand back." Magneto waved both hands, and a door opened, splitting right between the two misshapen halves of the 'M' marker. The doors swung inward, revealing a small metal room with a second door. Magneto opened the second door and walked inside.

Toad shielded his eyes as Magneto activated the lights in the main chamber. After adjusting, he looked up. The central chamber was just under three stories tall, a giant circular room with a surrounding balcony on each floor marker. Made of polished metal, neatly arranged in tiles, it was unmistakably Magneto's work. The main draw, however, was the cylindrical machine at the center of the room, hanging from the ceiling. Reaching down the nearly the full height of the room (stopping short of the floor by about seven feet), it was a giant collection of parts and wires, with a few beams jutting into the walls to support it. Directly underneath the machine was a small work station with several screens and a circular, wrap-around console.

"What is this?" Toad asked, jumping closer for a better look.

"My answer to Cerebro," Magneto replied, hovering around the machine to admire it. "Crude, yes, but it works without the need of a telepath. It can detect any mutant across the world."

"How does it work without a psychic runnin' it?" Toad asked, looking at the diagnostic screens as they started up.

"It works on many of the same principals, but it actively detects mutant genes. It's not as powerful as Cerebro, I'll admit, and it lacks many of the options granted to a psychic-driven machine, but it is functional, and will allow us to work secretly."

"So, this thing works like that one Morlock guy?"

"Yes, and no. Caliban's mutant hound abilities are nowhere near as advanced as my machine. It works similarly to the mutant detection system Bolivar Trask invented for his... machines. It can detect any mutant, worldwide. No one can hide from it."

"That's weird. So, you and him made your own mutant detectors? Small world, huh?"

"Yes," Magneto said, not caring to explain the machine and Cerebro's common origin. Toad looked at the screen, and noticed that both he and Magneto appeared within the immediate radius.

"Wait a minute... we're gonna use this to find Wanda and that other guy, aren't we?"

"Yes," Magneto answered. Toad grinned, checking the screens again, hoping to see some sign of Wanda. "Lucas can shield himself from psychic detection, but likely not from a mass genetic scanner. And I'm going to show you how it works."

"Hehe, alright. So, what's th' first thing I need to know about this?" Toad asked, glancing over all of the buttons and switches on the circular console.

"This." Magneto gave Toad a thick binder filled with printed notes. Leafing through the manual, Toad cringed.

No pictures.

All words.

All big words.

"Aw, no fair..."

--------------------

"So, you're actually going to try to make something of yourself, huh?" Kitty asked with a wry smile as Lance told her the news. They met on the balcony of Kitty's room near dusk. "Where are you going to get the money for this?"

"Uh, odd jobs," Lance said, avoiding Kitty's eyes. "Nothing illegal or anything. I'm thinking maybe I could save some trouble and take some courses here."

"You mean it?" Kitty asked enthusiastically.

"Yeah, I got bored of being a nobody," Lance said. "Besides, it'll kill some time until something interesting happens around here."

"You mean like another Apocalypse?" Kitty asked wryly. Lance laughed slightly.

"No, but... anyway, I should probably get going..."

"Wait, what's your rush?" Kitty asked, following him inside, to Kitty's bedroom. Lance saw that Kitty had closed the door behind her, and now she was closing the door to the balcony, leaning against it and tilting her head with another wry little smile. "I thought maybe we could spend some time together."

Lance wanted to smile, but this wasn't right.

"I'm sorry, Kitty. It's too soon." Lance started walking for the door, but stopped and looked back. "I want to make sure I'm worth it first. Once I've washed all the loser out of me... then we'll see what happens."

Kitty smiled as he left, somehow more satisfied with what he said than she would've been if anything else had happened between them.

--------------------

"Leaving already?" Scott Summers asked as a Lance descended the main staircase. Scott's presence was enough to make him grumpy. A few of the younger students were lounging around, using the foyer as a study hall. Lance groaned and walked past Scott. "Hey..."

"What do you want, Summers?" Lance growled. "The last thing I need is your witty little remarks, so keep them to yourself."

"I heard you were thinking of taking some courses here, and I just want you to know that I'm cool with-"

"Oh, shut up, you condescending-"

"And you're better?" Scott and Lance were practically spitting in each others' faces. The students all watched, anticipating a fight between more expertly trained mutants. Few had seen Scott so standoffish, but few people could push his buttons the way Lance did.

"Will you two give it a rest?" Kitty said, coming down the stairs. "It always has to be a testosterone match with you, doesn't it?"

"I don't care what this idiot has to say," Lance said. "I'll give you a call, Kitty." Lance headed for the door, unable to resist the urge to give a few of the kids an evil look. That's right kids, scary Avalanche is coming through. Stay out of his way.

"Why do you have to be such a jerk to him?" Kitty asked.

"What about him? When has he ever been nice to us? Lately it seems Professor X seems to be giving too many people the benefit of the doubt."

"Hey, that's just how he is." Kitty started to walk up the stairs. "Oh, before someone starts spreading rumors," she turned up to the balcony to glare at Bobby Drake, "Nothing happened. We talked. That's it."

"Uh, okay," Scott said. "N-not that it's any of my business."

"Who was that guy?" Ellie, the new arrival, asked one of her fellow students.

"Some loser," the boy replied. Scott had to allow himself a smile; the students were learning well.

--------------------

Surprising even himself, Toad had picked up on the particulars of Magneto's mutant detector rather quickly. Already having a strong knowledge of electronics thanks to working for the X-Men, he understood that Magneto and Xavier's designs shared a common beginning, and worked from there. He hopped up to one of the machine's support beams and opened a panel to adjust some wiring.

"Toad! Status report," Magneto bellowed, stepping out of his quarters.

"I've got th' power running, and it's scannin' at... uh..." Toad dropped all the way down to the console at the bottom and checked the screen. "Sixty-percent. It's kinda flounderin' around that area. The scanning radius ain't very wide right now, but I'm lookin' into it."

"Good. You're doing well."

"If you don't mind my askin'," Toad said, "What's keepin' you so busy that you've got me learnin' how to do this stuff from scratch?"

"I'm busy contacting old colleagues," Magneto told him. "I'm trying to renew contact so that Lucas doesn't try to sway them to his side."

"Tryin' to keep your old girlfriends from turnin' on you, huh? Good plan," Toad laughed, then hopped back up to the open panel. He was caught in mid-hop, suspended by the metal pieces of his outfit, and brought to Magneto, hanging upside down.

"I'm not one of your 'buddies' that you can joke around with," Magneto scorned with that unmistakable 'I have no sense of humor' look on his face. "We're doing important work. I'm putting a great deal more trust in you than you deserve, Toad, and you will show me respect."

"Right, sorry boss," Toad said. Magneto released him, letting him fell to the floor of the balcony. Rubbing his head, Toad jumped back down to the console to check it again. "Uh, you mind if I check what we're pickin' up?"

"If it will help you familiarize yourself with the equipment, go ahead." Toad hit a few keys and every mutant picked up by the machine was listed with a unique number. The few that matched archive files were listed under their names. Curious, Toad hit a key on one of the numbered, but unidentified mutants. The screen asked him to input data, including name, alias, date of birth, sex, blood type, and mutant ability. Just for fun, he typed in:

Jerry Knickerbocker

aka Banana Myers

03-10-1895

O

Rocks your world at all times, baby.

"Nyahaha... huh?" Toad found a familiar name on the list. He brought it up; the mutant was in Massachusetts. "Magneto! You better take a look at this."

"What is it?" Magneto asked impatiently, floating down to the console. Toad stepped aside to give Magneto room. "Wanda. She's in Boston?"

--------------------

Agatha Harkness's home near Boston was an old Victorian house, not unlike Mystique's boarding house. The wild grass in the front lawn and the worn paint and disheveled wood signaled to any passersby that the house was no longer in use, and likely hadn't been for years. The lawn was littered with old trash thrown by kids who knew that there was no owner to chase them off. Windows had been shattered, probably by the same kids. The only sign of life was a small troop of cats that seemed to be unusually comfortable among the garbage outside.

Wanda walked past the rickety gate late that evening and ignored the cats, all of which showed great interest in her. She could feel their eyes glaring at her, like watchdogs suspecting an intruder. She walked onto the creaking porch and knocked on the front door.

There was no answer. She looked over to one of the broken windows, checking inside.

"Is there anyone home?" she asked, annoyed. Inside, she could see a dining room that hadn't been used in years, covered in dust and missing much of the fine china arranged in a nearby glass cabinet, probably looted. Hearing no reply, Wanda threw open the front door, which promptly fell off its hinges. "Hello?"

"Don't make so much noise, child" the old woman said, seated in a chair in the living room. Much to Wanda's surprise, the house was far from destroyed; it was well-furnished and clean. The lights were even on. A few cats wandered in. Wanda stepped outside and glanced through the window, and once again saw the dilapidated dining room. When she stepped back inside, she saw that the dining room was in perfect order.

"What is this?" she asked.

"A simple trick," Agatha Harkness told her. "I like to have as few visitors as possible." She snapped her fingers and the door returned to its place, then shut itself. "It has been years since I've seen you, Wanda. What brings you to my home at this hour?"

"I need your help, Agatha," Wanda told her.

"In what way?" Agatha asked, reaching down to pick up a black cat.

"I need you to help me become stronger."

"Only you can help yourself," Agatha explained to her. "I taught you discipline, Wanda. Whether you choose to obey that discipline or ignore it is entirely up to you." Wanda paused to reflect. Agatha stroked the cat's head, and told her, "You still have issues with your father?" Wanda didn't have to reply. "I think the solution to your problem is not to destroy him."

"Then what am I _supposed_ to do?" Wanda asked, almost offended by the idea that there was another solution.

"I can't think of everything for you, Wanda," Agatha replied. "I think my old friend Mystique may have planted too many bad seeds in your mind. This alliance you've made with Xavier's son, it's costing you your soul."

"It's not costing me anything!" Wanda retorted. "If Magneto and Xavier are together-"

"Then you should learn from that example," Agatha explained. "Old rivals have put aside their differences to work together. If Magneto ever extends a sincere offer for reconciliation, it would be wise to at least consider it. After all, the peaceful solution is usually preferred to violence."

"But he hasn't changed," Wanda argued. "He's still the evil man that locked me away! He's still a monster!" Agatha saw that tears were forming in Wanda's eyes, and offered her shoulder to her. Wanda embraced the old woman, trusting her enough to display emotion in her presence. "He hasn't changed..."

"It's alright, Wanda. Let it out. Your powers are dominated by your emotions. If you keep them locked away, you only bottle your anger. This is why you haven't mastered your power." Agatha looked up. "Oh. This is a surprise. He's here."

Wanda stormed outside, followed by Agatha, who waited patiently by the door. Magneto stood at the walkway, the cats all glaring at him, though none hissed. He had come alone.

"What are you doing here?!" Wanda asked. She was unaware that her tears had made her mascara run. "How did you find me?"

"Wanda, I want to talk," Magneto said, taking off his helmet, and setting it down on the ground. "That's all."

"Talk?" Wanda said. "No. You stupid old man, you should've brought your friends!" Wanda threw out her arms and bombarded Magneto with hex bolts; however, Agatha began to whisper something into Wanda's ears. Wanda clenched her eyes and stopped the attack, rubbing her head.

"I'm sorry, Wanda," Magneto said sincerely. "I'm sorry for everything I've done to you. I was a different man, I-"

"No, you're still the same man!" Wanda shouted. "Maybe those idiot X-Men have fallen for your act, but I haven't. You think that after what you did to me, you can just apologize and everything's fine?!"

"Wanda, I've given up that life. I've changed my ways," Magneto pleaded. "You don't know how much of what I've done I now regret, but above all, I regret having neglected my children when they needed me most." Wanda had not been paying attention to Magneto's face and she was surprised when she saw that her previous attack had aged him considerably, and now he looked like a weaker, older man. The conqueror who had locked her away was gone, replaced by an emotionally damaged man wearing his armor.

"Father, I..."

"Don't listen to him!" Lucas appeared in the air above Magneto. Lucas pulled Magneto's helmet off the ground, but Magneto pulled it back, placing it on his helmet. Lucas smirked. "He's trying to fool you. He wants to take you away from me and turn you into one of his thugs! He doesn't care about you, just your power!"

"Is that so?!" Wanda held out her fingers and blasted Magneto in the chest with a single bolt. With her other arm, she threw a second hex bolt, and alternated between them, bombarding him with hex blasts. "I knew it! You're a liar, Magneto! You're nothing but a liar!"

"He was stupid enough to come alone," Lucas said. "This is our chance, Wanda!" Lucas hovered down and stood next to Wanda, producing fire from his right hand.

"No!" Wanda yelled, hexing Lucas's fire and dissipating it. "Magneto is mine!"

"Just trying to share in your interests," Lucas said. He leaned against the frame of the porch, crossing his arms. He looked on as Wanda continued her assault. Even when she was angry, she was beautiful; a violent jewel claiming righteous justice.

Then he noticed Agatha was whispering something. Wanda stopped her attack and rubbed her forehead.

"What do you think you're doing, you old hag?!" Lucas yelled.

"Magnus, go," she called to the recovering Magneto. "There will be another time. I will watch after Wanda."

"I understand," Magneto said, too afraid to argue. "Goodbye, Wanda." Magneto threw his cape behind him and flew into the sky. Lucas concentrated, but found he couldn't affect Agatha in any way. He waved his hand, but even his telekinesis was ineffective against her.

But, he still had fists.

"Listen to me, woman," Lucas growled, grabbing her shoulder harshly. "We have worked too hard-"

"And you listen to me," Agatha commanded. Lucas fell silent and released her; even he wasn't sure if he had done it willingly or not. Agatha's face shone with fury, and though physically she hadn't changed, to Lucas she now seemed great and imposing. "Wanda must be allowed to make her own decisions, and I won't allow you to cloud her mind with unnatural thoughts." Agatha ushered Wanda into the house. She continued rubbing her head, and sat down in a chair in the living room.

"So you're making the decision for her, you hypocrite," Lucas said, following them inside. "The only thing she's ever asked of me is a chance to avenge her suffering, and I won't let you stand in the way of that!"

"She doesn't know what she wants," Agatha stated. "She needs time to think, and reflect. I will help her purify her mind and exercise her abilities. If, after that time, she still thirsts for revenge, then I won't stop her." Lucas walked over to his beloved and knelt in front of her.

"Wanda, are you well?" he asked.

"I just feel a little dizzy," she replied. "I'll be fine."

"Do you want to stay with the hag, or come back with me?" Agatha offered Wanda tranquility, which she wanted... but Lucas offered her revenge, which she wanted even more.

"Let's go," Wanda said. Lucas helped her to her feet. She gave Agatha one last look, as if to say "sorry," and walked away with Lucas.

Agatha only sighed, and returned to her chair.

--------------------

Toad, having grown hungry at Magneto's base, had hopped off the mountain and stopped by Burger King to get something to eat. Still wearing his uniform and hopping like a madman, Toad drew quite a few stares. More than one little boy asked their parent why that man was like that. Among the better explanations was "you remember your grandpa Stu? That man is just like him."

"You mean senile and worthless, daddy?"

"Now where did you hear that, son?" Toad hopped out, carrying a small burger with him and a soda. Suddenly, a violent wind blew past and made him drop his food. Toad looked down at the crumpled mess. His fries had spilled out. His burger was half inside its wrapper and half out. His soda stood no chance.

"Awwww..." Immediately, the wind returned: it was none other Pietro. Toad sat up, wondering if he was imagining things. "Pietro? What are you doin' here? You owe me lunch, yo."

"I was on my way to the Institute... but actually, I'm in luck, you're just the guy I was looking for."

"Uh... what for?" Toad asked cautiously. He had a feeling that whatever Pietro answered, he wasn't going to like it.

"C'mon, pal, I haven't seen you in years! Is that any way to talk to your old friend?"

"Well, you did kinda ruin my lunch." Pietro raised an eyebrow. "Okay, you got a point." Toad's tongue snagged the burger off the ground and he swallowed it almost whole. A moment later, he spat up a slime-covered ball... the burger's wrapper. "So, what's up?"

"Long story short, I got busted by the Feds. They want me to do some work for them... which is actually why I'm here. Lance, Fred and I are getting the band back together," Pietro said, careful to emphasize the others' involvement. "We're going on a secret assignment, one I can't discuss in public."

And so, they walked back into Burger King.

"I thought I'd heard somethin' about Lance gettin' into somethin'..." Toad remarked. "I've been too busy to actually hang out with him, though, so I never got around to askin' him. Hey, how'd you get Fred to give up th' big job he's got in Dallas?"

"First, I ran all the way over there," Pietro explained. "Then I explained the details to him, just like I'm going to explain them to you. SHIELD wants us to track someone down. You and the guys each get $50,000 for this."

"Well, that's great, but I can't just leave Magneto, you know he'd kill me," Toad explained.

"Yeah, but this involves Wanda," Pietro told him. "We need to get her out of a difficult situation she's gotten herself into."

"You mean th' thing with Lucas?"

"Yeah... wait, I thought you said nobody'd told you."

"About this thing you got? No. But I know about Lucas. He attacked th' mansion last week." Pietro didn't say anything, but his wide-eyed expression betrayed his utter astonishment. Toad guessed that it had more to do with nobody telling him. "Way to be in th' loop, Pietro. Lucas and Wanda attacked Xavier and Magneto at th' Institute, and they had some other goons with 'em. Funny thing is, your little get-together might be pointless, 'cuz Magneto already found her, and he's already talkin' to her right now."

"That'll solve everything." Pietro rolled his eyes. "Look, Wanda may or may not be important here. Our target is Lucas. SHIELD doesn't know anything about him. If we can find him and take him down, or I guess capture him, then I get a full pardon from them, I go free, and you guys get some cash. Plus, we'll look good."

"It sounds great, yo, but I got Magneto to worry about. He's got me doin' double-duty, I worked at th' Institute during th' week, and while Xavier thinks I got weekends off, he has me up in his mountain base workin' on some weird top-secret sh... uh."

"You said he found Wanda," Pietro leaned in. "How?"

"Uh, you know what? I'm ramblin', I think maybe I got low blood sug-" Before Toad could react, Pietro forced his mouth open and pulled out his tongue. He grabbed the salt shaker from the table and held it over the squirming tongue. "AAgh! Agh! Whaggayu ggoiyg?!?!"

"Magneto's fixed that mutant detector of his, hasn't he?" Pietro said. Toad wouldn't answer. Pietro then began sprinkling salt on his tongue... more and more salt for Toad. His tongue became coated, and he tried to pull his tongue away, whincing at the saltiness. "Aaagh! HHHAAAgagaAHAHAG!" The other patrons were beginning to stare.

"And he's taught you how to use it, hasn't he?"

"AGghhahhag!! AGAAGGAGAGA!" The manager came over.

"Excuse me, you two are going to have to calm-" Without even turning to look at the manager, Pietro quickly slapped him on the cheek. After taking a moment to register what had happened, the manager quietly left.

"Listen to me, Toad. Magneto's not going to get Wanda to do anything. It's up to us to stop Lucas, and it's up to us to get Wanda back on a less psychotic track. We're in the best possible position for this. SHIELD's willing to back us up, you've got access to Magneto's technology and you know how to use it... who else is going to do this? Xavier and his dweeby X-Men? Losers, all of them! Now, you're gonna get a huge load of cash, you're gonna hang out with your old buddies, and you're gonna save Wanda. Are you gonna help us out, or what?"

"GEEEEHHH."

"What?"

"GEEEEEEEH GYUUU THHHUGHGING THRIIIGG!"

"I can't hear you!" Pietro let go of Toad's tongue and it snapped back into his mouth. Toad began spitting globs of salt-covered slimed and wiping his mouth against his sleeve.

"I said yes, you fucking prick!" Toad yelled, angry enough to use a 'g' at the end of 'fucking.' "Argh. I ain't ever eatin' anythin' salty again! Ack... alright, well how am I gonna explain this to Magneto?"

"You let me worry about that."

--------------------

"Go," Magneto said, to Pietro's surprise. They met on the roof of an office building downtown near three in the morning. Magneto made sure that he was wearing his helmet. "I can spare Toad's assistance until your mission is complete."

"Really? You're cool with this?"

"Your work could be very beneficial to me. Do you know about Destiny?" Magneto asked. Pietro shook his head. "She can see the future, but the farther the vision, the less likely it will really happen." Magneto paused, and turned away. "Years ago, she predicted that a young man and woman would kill Charles and I. When the differences between Charles and myself drove us in separate paths, I imagined there was no chance that this would happen. When we settled our differences and I joined his staff, I didn't think about Destiny's vision, until Wanda's memories were restored and 'Lucas' arrived to torment us. Last week, the vision came dangerously close to coming true. I need you and your team to do whatever it takes to lure Wanda away from Lucas."

"That's covered," Pietro replied confidently. "All we have to do to fill SHIELD's orders is to bring down Lucas."

"Capture, or kill?"

"Capture, kill, or at least find his definite whereabouts."

"Pietro, in exchange for allowing Toad to go on leave and the use of my equipment, I'm going to ask you for something in return."

"Yeah, what's that?" Pietro asked.

"You must agree not to capture Lucas, or to let SHIELD know where he is. Take the third option." Pietro looked up at his father, puzzled for a moment. He crossed his arms as Magneto turned away. Pietro then realized what he wanted.

"I can't guarantee that," he pointed out.

"No, but if you are given the option..."

"I'm guessing you don't want Xavier to know anything about this," Pietro said.

"Correct," Magneto replied. "Charles cannot know that I have any involvement in your mission, nor can SHIELD. I will have Mastermind erase that part of your memory if I have to. Whether you decide to relay this order to your team is up to you, but I don't recommend it."

"You can count on me," Pietro said. "We'll do everything we can to keep Wanda from harm."

"Good."

"I'd better get ready," Pietro told him. "We're going to SHIELD tomorrow to get everything set up." Pietro ran down the side of the building and down the street. Satisfied, Magneto levitated into the air and flew off.

**The plot chickens. Er, thickens. Read on!**


	10. Act 3: The Brotherhood Returns

**Welcome back, my friends. It is now time for act three.**

**I know I said there wouldn't be a whole lot of new characters, but... we get another one here. He's tied to Psylocke, Sack and Juggernaut, and like them, plays only a minor role in the overall story. So don't dwell on him too much.**

**Oh, and excuse the grammar.**

**Act 3, Chapter 1 (9)- The Brotherhood Returns**

For the first time in five years, the original members of the Brotherhood were once again assembled. Lance Alvers, Pietro Maximoff, Fred Dukes and Todd Tolensky walked through the lower corridor of a secret SHIELD base- all four had to be blindfolded when they had arrived. Lance and Pietro wore their usual civilian clothes. Fred wore a wide pair of overalls and a large green t-shirt which was fairly tight on a man of his size, though not indecently tight. Toad wore faded jeans with torn knees and even more holes around them. He also wore a long-sleeved white shirt, though the sleeves were rolled back to the elbows, and over it a hooded reddish-brown sweatshirt with the sleeves torn off, sporting a faded green hood. Around his wrists he wore studded bracelets.

"Man, it feels so weird to be wearin' normal clothes again," Toad remarked.

"What, do you sleep in your uniform?" Pietro asked sarcastically.

"Pretty much. Magneto says I gotta shower, but he ain't never said nothin' about washin' my clothes." They reached the end of the corridor and entered a small hangar, containing a single SHIELD heli-jet. Commander Bishop, flanked by two armored SHIELD agents, waited for the team. One of them held a metal briefcase.

"Alright, let's make this quick," Bishop said to the assembled mutants. "I'm Commander Bishop and I'll be in charge of your operation. Your mission is to find Lucas. You have a single chopper at your disposal and a single pilot at your command. For the duration of your mission, Quicksilver is in charge. You are to report to me every three hours. Denti!"

One of the SHIELD agents, Denti, held up the briefcase and opened it, revealing four box-shaped devices and four earpieces. The second agent began to hand them out as Bishop explained their function.

"Each of you will be assigned one Shaw SP5 level one tracking device. This allows SHIELD command to determine your position. Have it on you at all times. You will also be assigned one Motorola HT900 headset to keep in contact with me and with your teammates."

"Hey, Unus has one of these," Fred noted, slipping his onto his right ear.

"No, he has the casing," Bishop corrected him. "This is a special model commissioned by us. It uses the same casing as civilian models, but the mechanics are far different. I won't get into specifics, but keep them on at all times. Now, Quicksilver tells me that one of you has reliable information about Lucas's whereabouts."

"T-that would be me," Toad said, raising his hand.

"Under normal circumstances, I'd ask you to share everything with us, but SHIELD command has informed me that they're not interested in specifics, they're interested in results," Bishop explained. "I don't agree with them, but orders are orders, so I'm going to let you go as-is and pray that you don't fuck this up. You have your orders, now get moving."

"Do we have to salute?" Lance asked.

"No. Actually, I've changed my mind. Give me a salute." The four boys gave Bishop a weak, half-assed salute. Lance's was left-handed. "You are the saddest pieces of shit I've ever seen. Now get out there and do what an army of elite agents couldn't do."

"Yes, sir!" Pietro barked. "Alright boys, move-"

"Oh, fuck you," Lance groaned. "You're not a commander. C'mon guys, let's get this over with." Pietro watched as Fred and Toad followed Lance towards the chopper. He scowled and clenched his fists.

--------------------

Wanda Maximoff sat in a chair near a window in a large bedroom, reading a book. Out of her combat uniform, Wanda wore a red, thin-strap corset along with a short black skirt with two red belts criss-crossing each other at her waist. Her legs were covered by dark gray stockings, just like her arms were covered with long, fingerless opera gloves that reached almost up to her shoulders, topped off with arm-bracelets with styles similar to those she wore on her wrists, the same she wore as a teenager, as well as several silver rings on her fingers. On her feet, she wore black boots with red laces, and the ankh-adorned choker remained on her neck.

Returning from Boston, she wanted time alone. Though she didn't mention it to Lucas, her meeting with Magneto had cast some doubts about him. Maybe not so much about who he was in the past, but who he was now. Could he be sincere about wanting to reconcile? What possible ulterior motive could he have, if the past five years were spent at some school? No, she had to remind herself of what he did. How could he change so quickly? He couldn't. It had to be an act.

And if Magneto had truly reformed, then what was the purpose of Wanda's quest? Why was she still with Lucas? After five years, they had accomplished little. Most of it was because the X-Men had grown in strength. Wanda and Lucas had waited for the right opportunity to find Magneto and Xavier alone, but in five years, such an opportunity hadn't presented itself. Suddenly, the press reported that Magneto was on vacation, but Wanda knew this was just a trick. Still, Magneto had come alone to Boston. If it wasn't for Agatha Harkness, Wanda would've already settled the score.

But the more she thought about it, the more she moved in circles. She could've killed Magneto... but did she really want to, now that she had doubts about him, however small? What would Wanda do with her life after Magneto's death?

She still had Lucas... she told herself that she loved him, but part of Wanda knew she was only with him out of convenience. Their relationship wasn't exactly healthy- there was no real romance, and no real emotion between them. But she didn't care; or rather, she ignored this. It was enough for her that they had a professional partnership, and a physical relationship.

That's what it was, she realize. Lust, not love. Despite his single-minded attitude, Wanda found Lucas attractive. She certainly liked that he dressed in tight leather, and that his shirt teased her with a peek at his smooth chest. And that mane of hair, those blue eyes... it was enough to melt even Wanda's cold exterior.

Elsewhere in the room, Lucas stood at one of the large windows with his hands behind his back, the moonlight highlighting his handsome features. They were at the mansion of a mutual ally who also wanted to see Xavier dead, and they shared a bedroom with a view over the sea. Though he was surrounded by wealth, and there was a beautiful, witchy woman in his bedroom, Lucas was quite bored.

"I should go ahead and admit it, then," Lucas said with his thick Scottish accent. "I'm terribly vexed."

Wanda stood up, setting her book down on the chair, and walked to him, laying her hands on his shoulders, and then reaching down to his chest. "I think we could both use some release."

"What we need is more mutants," Lucas said, apparently oblivious to Wanda's advances. "We need to account for everyone. I've lost count of how many X-Men there are..."

"Lucas, can we talk about this later?" Wanda asked, putting her head on his shoulder. With her hands already on him, she pulled Lucas tightly to her, pressing her body against his. To her annoyance, Lucas gently pushed her aside, staring out the window.

"But we need more," he continued. "We need to show Xavier than we can put together a team better than his. That'll really wound his pride!"

"Lucas, what is wrong with you?" Wanda asked. "Just once, can you talk about something besides revenge?"

"Don't tell me you don't want that anymore," Lucas said, turning to her.

"I do, but that's not all I want," she said, sitting down on the bed, laying back on her arms so that Lucas could see what she was offering. "When is the last time you and I have been intimate, Lucas? I didn't just join you out of convenience, I..."

"I've got it!" Lucas shouted, interrupting her. "We'll raid the prison, where I found Uncle Cain. If we can get some more of those mutants on our side, we could even ditch some of our weaker allies. Like Pyro."

"You know what?" Wanda said indignantly, standing up. "Forget it. I'll come back when you're level-headed."

"Now wait a minute," Lucas said, coming up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. "I'm sorry, lass. I'm just a little preoccupied. You know how my mind wanders sometimes..."

"Forget it, I'm not in the mood anymore," Wanda growled as she pushed him away. "All you ever think about is Xavier."

"Glass houses, Wanda," Lucas retorted. "You've spent the last four years helping me devise a way to kill our fathers. Can you say that you ever think about anything other than killing Magneto?"

"Of course I do!" Wanda snapped. "But we can't let that be the only thing that keeps us together. Just because that's all I thought about when I escaped the asylum doesn't mean that's all I think about now."

"Then what _are_ you thinking about?" Lucas asked, raising an eyebrow. "None of this used to matter to you until tonight. What did that witch do to you? Don't tell me Magneto got to you. You're thinking about what he said, aren't you?"

"I'm thinking about the future," Wanda told him. "I don't want Magneto to define who I am. So, I've been thinking about what I want to do when I'm done with him. Have you given any thought to the future?"

"I'll worry about that when it happens," Lucas said. It was clear that his priority remained Xavier. He turned back to the window. "I'll make daddy dearest wish he'd been there for me."

"You do that," Wanda said, exiting the room. Wanda wondered if maybe the reason he had taken so long to exact revenge was because he had no ambitions beyond that, and wanted to prolong the suspense. But how could he be so single-minded, she thought to herself.

But unknown to her, that was all Lucas really was. Anger, bitterness, and base human impulses. He was David Haller's id given physical form, and though he had a strong personality, it was incomplete. Lucas was only a magnified fragment of a whole. But he would never accept that.

--------------------

Seated at the rear of the helicopter, Pietro and his team waited patiently for their pilot to carry them to the destination provided by Toad. They sat in awkward silence for most of the ride. Though it had been the first time in years that the Brotherhood boys had been together in one place, they had little to say. Their seats faced each other, but none looked directly at one another. Lance held on to the bar above his seat and looked outward, away from the others. To his left was Fred, slouching in two seats, arms crossed and looking up at the ceiling.

Across from him, Pietro leaned forward, looking intently at his own clasped hands. And next to him, Toad sat in his usual frog style, looking down at the floor.

"Y'know, I really appreciate all of you agreeing to this," Pietro said finally, getting the attention of his team. He looked each of them in the eyes before adding, "I'd never be able to pull this off without you."

"Don't talk just yet," Lance scoffed. "We're not there yet, and I dunno about you guys, but I'm a little rusty."

"Not me," Fred boasted, flexing the gigantic muscles on his arms, bigger than they were in his teenage years and even a little less flabby. "See this? This is what happens when you work out all day instead of watching cartoons! Check that out!"

"I ain't got time to work out," Toad said, scratching the back of his head and swinging his long hair. "I'm too busy learnin' all kinds of useless tech junk."

"You know, Magneto's never actually shown me that machine of his," Pietro confessed. "How does it work?"

"Well, it's kinda like what th' Sentinels had," Toad explained. "Only bigger. See, the machine can tell th' difference between humans and mutants, so it detects 'em automatically. It's got a wide enough range that it can track a mutant almost anywhere. Problem is, th' wider the range, the more power the damn thing sucks up. I could only run it for a little bit when I checked for Wanda this time."

"How do we even know she'll still be there?" Lance asked.

"We... don't," Toad admitted. "Kind of a shot in th' dark here."

"If nothing else, we still get paid just for showing SHIELD where this Lucas guy is, right?" Fred reminded them. "Hmm. Never been to Ireland before. What do they got to eat?"

"Food," Lance told him.

"Ha, ha. Seriously, isn't there something famous from there?"

"Beats me," Toad replied.

"Hmm. There's beer, at least," Fred mused. "Right?" They others nodded.

"They have pasta in Ireland," the Pilot said to them. He glanced over at them from the cockpit, but his voice actually came from a set of speakers near the team.

"That's Italy," Pietro said to him. "Pasta is Italian."

"Um, no," the Pilot replied. "I did a research paper on this in high school. Pasta comes from Ireland."

"No it doesn't!" Pietro yelled back. "What are you, some kind of savant? How did you even get to be in SHIELD?"

"Draft," the Pilot replied.

"They can do that?" Lance asked.

"SHIELD can do whatever it wants. They came to my house one night and said I needed to fly choppers for them. That was two months ago."

"But that's insane!" Pietro yelled.

"Well, the salary's good. And to be fair, I was stealing helicopters since I was 15."

"I didn't know helicopter theft was a viable hobby," Pietro said, rubbing his forehead.

"You wouldn't think so, but it's great. I'm pretty good at this, though. Here, watch this!" Suddenly, the Pilot swerved the chopper, throwing Pietro and a screaming Toad out of their seats. Lance pushed Toad off and suddenly began reaching for something, apparently searching for some invisible object.

"It's been so long since I've been in the air... I forgot how much I hate it," Lance told them, his eyes drooping. Casually, Fred held out a paper bag, flicking it so that it opened, and handed it to Lance. "Thanks Freddy." Moments later, Lance's head was between his knees and his friends did their best to ignore the wretching.

And so ended a typical conversation in the Brotherhood chopper.

--------------------

Lucas threw open the doors of a large, stately castle in Ireland, walking in with a satisfied look on his face. The interior was kept clean, and despite being a centuries-old castle, it was decorated with more modern furnishings. A few well-dressed servants made way as Lucas was greeted by the mansion's owner, a tall, dark-haired man with a medium length beard, dressed in a dark outfit with a long, buttoned coat with a red crest just below his neckline. He carried a wooden stick with him, not quite a cane and not quite a staff. This was the castle's master, "Black Tom" Cassidy, who had inherited the castle that had been in his family for generations, and made his current fortune as a criminal kingpin. Though wanted by Interpol, it was fortunate for him that neither SHIELD nor its corresponding international agencies had ever taken a real interest in capturing the notorious Black Tom.

"Lucas, back early," Black Tom said with a noticeable Irish accent. "I think maybe your excursion didn't go as planned?"

"On the contrary, Tom, it went better," Lucas smiled. "I've got the information I need."

"Good, the sooner this is done with, the better. This is my home, Lucas, and I must see to the well-being of my guests, however, I am growing very impatient. That uncle of yours is testing even my patience."

"Hold off just a little longer. I'm almost ready. You'll get your piece, my friend." Lucas climbed up the red-carpeted stairs, almost forgetting which way he was supposed to turn at the landing. The castle was more complicated than he'd preferred, with various wings and chambers added over the centuries that Black Tom himself admitted had no purpose except to increase the size.

"You're home early," Cain Marko said, chugging down an entire can of beer, crushing it between his fingers, and picking up another one. Cain, dressed in his trademark armor (though he kept his helmet off), sat on a large couch in one of the mansion's upper levels, with a portable television balanced on his knee. After the attack on the Xavier Institute, Cain had been left behind- fortunately, Lucas remembered to retrieve him before Cain woke up and realized he had been forgotten.

"Come, dear uncle, we have matters to discuss." Lucas entered a large chamber and shut the door behind him.

Groaning, Cain stood up, belched, and followed Lucas into the game room that had effectively become a secret war room for Lucas and his close associates. Only a select few were permitted inside- not even Black Tom's servants were allowed in there, at least not while Lucas was using the castle as his hideout. There was already someone inside when Lucas arrived.

"Wanda, my dear," Lucas said. Wanda Maximoff sat on the couch, writing something in a small notebook.

"Oh, hi Lucas," she said, standing up, but not even offering to embrace him. This detail didn't escape Lucas's notice, even with Wanda's mood swings. "Did you find what you needed?"

"Indeed." She looked at him, and Lucas looked her in the eyes, searching them. He wasn't yet willing to look through her mind, and found in her eyes a certain disappointment. He wondered if this was just a lingering feeling from their last meeting, or if there was something else...

"Ah, are we interrupting anything?" Black Tom asked as he entered with Cain. They were also joined by Psylocke, now wearing a white silk kimono, as well as the gelatinous Sack, who was forced to wear heavy boots and a hooded coat indoors. Lucas let go of Wanda. "Good. Let me just register my dissatisfaction with this entire venture. You promised us results, Lucas."

"No surprise that the only one on my side is sleeping with me," Lucas groaned, casting a sidelong glance at Wanda, who looked slightly uncomfortable with his description. "Tom, you've been very patient, and here's where it pays off." Lucas snapped his fingers and a door behind the bar opened, allowing them access to a large, spherical metal room made of unpolished and poorly lit metal, with a single bridge leading to a platform halfway into it. There was a console there, as well as a crudely constructed helmet attached with several exposed, multi-colored wires. It was their very own knock-off Cerebro. "Cain, have I shown you this? I built it myself, with some help from Wanda and a generous amount of donated resources from Tom."

"Seen better," the Juggernaut grumbled.

"It's a little rough, perhaps, but we go with what works, yes?"

"I don't see what we need anyone else for. Your brain, my muscles, we could take him and his kids."

"You mean like how you 'took' them the last time you were there?" Black Tom slyly reminded him.

"They got lucky!" Cain screamed in defense. "You think I can't take them again?!"

"Now, now, don't be so rash," Lucas casually raised a hand to stop Cain. "I don't allow reckless violence here and I'd hate for there to be bad blood between us, Uncle Cain. As much as I hate to say it, neither of us is ready to deal with the X-Men, and Magneto's little feint isn't going to fool us. We'll have an easier time if I can use this to enhance my powers."

"But we must remember the conditions of this deal," Black Tom continued. "Xavier goes to Lucas and Magneto to Wanda, to be disposed of as you both see fit. The mansion is returned to Cain, and he and I divide the rest of the Xavier assets among ourselves. It's not too late to claim part of it for yourself, Wanda."

"No thank you," Wanda said sharply. "I don't want any of his property. Just Magneto."

"Yeah, we know, that's all you or Lucas talk about," Cain mumbled. Blue sparks appeared around Wanda's hands as she raised them, wiggling her fingers slightly. The blue hex energy extended to Cain and froze him in place, forcing him to scream as sharp pains ran through his body.

"It ain't that easy!" Cain still had the strength to march forward and grab Wanda by the throat, lifting her up above him. "You want some of this, girly?! AIIIE! AARRRREEEGH! STOP!" Cain clutched his head and fell to the ground, trying to resist Lucas's powerful mental attack, instinctively trying to reach for his helmet, which he forgot was in another room.

"Mind your manners, Cain, and show some proper respect," Lucas said with an angry, slightly crazed look in his eye. Cain was released, and after rubbing his head, he stood back up. Wanda dropped to her knees, rubbing her neck and glaring fiercely at Cain. Lucas helped her to her feet and put his hand gently on her shoulder. "Are you hurt, lass?"

"No, I'm fine." Wanda looked over at the Cerebro console. "What did you need to find?"

"Ah, this." Lucas took a small cylinder from his pocket, no bigger than a pen. "Looks rather... insignificant, I know, but I've studied the design, and it's quite crucial." Lucas telekinetically opened a panel on the side of the bridge and attached the small device to two free wires. The machine began to hum. "There we go."

"Is it working?" Wanda asked.

"Partially." Lucas put on the crude helmet. "I... it's like a tingling." Lucas almost had to hold himself back in order to keep from reading the thoughts of those in the room. He was on a high that couldn't be provided by any drug... power itself was surging through his brain. Feeling, that was enough for the moment, Lucas opened his eyes and pulled off the helmet. "Now I just need to finish the partial blueprints I have for this. There's a few crucial pieces I'm still... unable to find."

"How did you find this one?" Wanda asked inquisitively.

"Well... ah... a salesman, here in Ireland."

"A salesman had the part you needed for a multi-million-dollar piece of equipment?"

"Does it truly matter where this came from?"

"It just seems strange."

"If you must know, I paid a small visit to Bayville and extracted the information I needed from one of the X-Men, but I was careful to make sure I wasn't noticed. It's all simple enough, but they didn't know everything. I built this part myself, didn't take too long, though I had to find some adamantium for it. I had to... dispose of a few people in Washington, but I found what I needed."

"Sometimes I think you're having too much fun with this," Wanda scowled.

"Now wait just a moment there, I'll remind you that you're also out to kill your own father."

"I want him to understand how much he hurt me," Wanda growled. "I'm trying to keep this between us. If someone gets in my way, I'll crush them... but I don't go actively looking for trouble."

"I'm just the same, lass, those people were in my way. This is all I need now."

"You don't NEED this!" Wanda scorned. "If you just want revenge, why do you need Cerebro? Just to spite him? Lucas, you're letting your pride drive you! Focus on the goal!"

"My PRIDE?!" The lights around Cerebro began to flicker. Black Tom and Cain exchanged glances and quietly began to retreat from the room, followed by Tom's minions. Wanda, however, stood her ground. "He ignored me for most of my life, for his little after-school club? I want to show him his mistake, I want to show him what he could have had if he had only chosen to pay attention to his own son, and I think that of everyone on this miserable planet, YOU would understand that!"

"Don't try to get pity from me, Lucas, you had your mother! My father was all I had left, and he locked me away so he didn't have to deal with me! My own brother and the people I thought were my friends sold me out because they were afraid of Magneto! Don't tell me you've had a troubled life, because you don't know all that I've been through!" Wanda didn't wait for his response before she left Cerebro, stomping back into the game room, which the others had already left. "I thought you were more mature than this, Lucas."

"And I suppose you think you're better than me now," Lucas said, walking out of Cerebro, his voice tinged with outrage.

"Maybe I do. And what if I do? Do you think you can push me around?"

"How would you like to find out?!"

"Excuse me," said Black Tom, standing at the doorway. Lucas and Wanda both turned to him, so visibly angry that Black Tom staggered slightly, afraid for a moment that they might turn their collective wrath against him. After a moment had passed, Black Tom continued, "We've picked up a helicopter in the area."

--------------------

Pyro sat on a moss-covered rock in the forest outside of Cassidy Keep, which was perched on the top of a cliff overlooking the ocean (which is apparently a very common place to put a castle), playing with his lighter. Lucas had more or less given him over to Black Tom as a minion, and so Black Tom had ordered Pyro to stay outside, ostensibly to watch the perimeter (though Pyro couldn't tell where the perimeter began, ended, or indeed existed in any distinguishable way), but mostly because Pyro was an annoying little shit.

Pyro watched as the little woman in his hand danced for him, beckoning him, teasing him... Pyro blinked and decided her boobies should be a little bigger. Then, with his free hand-

Suddenly, a glob of slime killed Pyro's tiny imaginary girlfriend. Pyro looked up to see who the murderer was, and before his eyes were even level with the horizon, he was knocked on his back and pinned by Quicksilver.

"Something tells me you've wanted me in this position for a long time," Pyro smirked.

"Too late," Pietro told him, "Toad already made that joke while we were discussing the plan. I thought about doing something else instead, but I'm not going to let that asshole make me self-conscious. Blob!" Fred emerged and pulled Pyro off the ground. Pyro tried to dart away, but Fred grabbed him and pinned him against his chest, squeezing him with his gigantic arms. Now Pyro saw that Lance and Toad had joined the party.

"Okay, Pyro, here's what's gonna happen," Pietro said, leaning an elbow on one of Fred's arms. "We need to get in there, undetected. You're going to help us."

"And why would I do that? Because your trained fatty is going to squeeze me?" Pyro asked. Not one to take it, Fred gave him a firm squeeze. "That's all good right now," Pyro strained to say, "But you can't expect him to hold on to me forever. You're going to have to offer me something if you want my permanent assistance."

"We're going to kick your boss's ass," Lance told him.

"I'm in," Pyro replied. Fred let him go, and Pietro quickly smacked Pyro upside the head. "What now?!"

"Just wanted you to know that I can do that at any time and there's not a damn thing you can do about it." To further prove his point, Pietro did it again. And again. And again. The next time, Pyro tried to catch Pietro's hand, but he didn't have a chance. Then Pietro did it again. "We clear?"

"Yeah, we're clear," Pyro groaned, rubbing his head. "Alright, mates. I know a few ways in. Follow me."

--------------------

"Well?" Wanda asked impatiently. Lucas sat in one of the lounge chairs with his chin resting on his hands. He already knew who was there. Was there any question? Lucas had to wonder how they thought they could sneak in without being noticed. The only question was, how would Wanda react?

Lucas pretended he was still using his telepathy to figure out who the intruders were. In reality, he was trying to decide what course of action to take. He knew Wanda had no particular fondness for her old teammates... but he also knew Wanda's mood had a tendency to shift.

"Spies," Lucas said, standing up and facing Wanda. "Common spies. Not a single worthy opponent among them. We'll let Black Tom's thugs deal with them."

"What do they want here?" Wanda asked. Lucas almost groaned, but stopped himself.

"...They're looking for something else," Lucas told her quickly. Suddenly, the doors flew open. Black Tom's assassin Psylocke entered the room, now wearing her battle clothing and bowing quickly as she approached Lucas. His silence indicated that he wanted her to say whatever it was she was sent to say.

"The enemy have made it into the castle," Psylocke said not with a Japanese accent, but an English one. "They are being led by-" and without so much as a scream or a twitch of her eyes, Psylocke dropped like a rag doll. Wanda knelt beside her and check her vital signs.

"They must have had her tagged," Lucas said quickly. Wanda gently shook Psylocke's head to see if she could get a reaction. There was no telling when, if ever, she would wake up. Wanda stood up and looked right at Lucas; for a moment, Lucas suspected that she knew what he was doing.

"They're more dangerous than we thought," Wanda said to him. "I'm going to take care of them."

"Wait," Lucas called. "I didn't want to tell you this, Wanda, but they're after you." Wanda stopped and narrowed her eyes skeptically. "They've been sent by SHIELD. They're here to take you back to their base so they can get information about Magneto."

"Then I'll let them know that I'm not going to do business with them."

"Wanda, are you mad? Look what they did to her," Lucas said, motioning towards the body of Psylocke. "We can't take that risk. You need to get out of here. I'll stay here and deal with these goons."

"No," Wanda refused, and left the room before he could argue any further. Once she was gone, Lucas was struck by something. He detected a fourth mental pattern; he had detected five originally, and then three as the helicopter left. Lucas had assumed there were two pilots and three agents, but now he realized that a fourth pattern had remained, fading in and out.

And much to his alarm, the very moment Lucas came to this realization, that pattern had managed to enter the war room.

"You must be Pietro," Lucas mocked. Pietro Maximoff stood behind him, arms crossed and smirking. And alone, as Lucas noted, in a room with a much more powerful mutant.

"I know, I should've dropped you a line. It's rude of me to drop in unannounced, but what can I say? I'm a sucker for surprises."

"I've got none of those," Lucas told him. "Just something you probably expected." With a wave of Lucas's hand, Pietro's view began to spin out of control...

--------------------

"HAAAH!" The human battering ram known as the Juggernaut plowed through his third consecutive castle wall as if it was made of cardboard. His destination: the lower keep, where Pyro had snuck in the Brotherhood boys.

"Yeah, suddenly I'm more worried about us than Pietro," Toad remarked.

"That's different... how?" Lance asked. Toad shrugged, conceding the point. He hopped over a charging Juggernaut, who instead collided with the unmovable Blob. Planting his feet on the floor, Fred held up against the force of the unstoppable Juggernaut. Realizing that his strength alone couldn't move the Blob, Juggernaut instead tried grappling him in an effort to push him to the ground. The result looked something like two superhuman sumo wrestlers trying to push each other out of the ring, with neither gaining any significant ground against the others.

"I'll keep him here!" Fred yelled as he strained against his enemy. "You guys go ahead!"

"Yeah, thanks a lot, mate!" Pyro yelled. Before he could run through the hole Juggernaut had created, Avalanche grabbed him by the collar and threw him to the floor.

"You're staying with us, twiggy," Lance told him. "Fred, let's take care of this douchebag."

"I said I'll hold him!" Fred yelled.

"Yeah, take the hint from that Aussie pussy and run!" Juggernaut yelled, though he kept his focus on Fred. "Once I'm done with your bean bag pal, I'm making paste out of you!" Lance raised both hands and created a disturbance beneath Juggernaut that kept him from properly grounding himself. With his footing lost, Juggernaut couldn't hold back against the Blob. Fred charged through, pushing Juggernaut with him until he pinned him against a wall.

"You think you're tough shit, don't you?!" Juggernaut yelled, and began to push back. "You're just a fat kid with an attitude, that's all you are!"

With the help of a second tremor, Fred pushed Juggernaut back against the wall, significantly reducing his ability to create momentum.

"Come on, take him out!" Toad began to yell, hopping up and down. "Did you hear what he called you?! Are you gonna take that from him?! You gonna let this buckethead talk to you like that?! Show him who's boss! Show him you're tough shit!"

In a burst of rage and adrenaline, Fred yelled out, "I AM TOUGH SHIT!" He pushed Juggernaut up against the wall, cracking it. But he wasn't done. Fred kept pushing, repeating to himself in his mind that he was indeed tough shit. Juggernaut was nothing. This was the Blob's fight.

"HHHRAAAH!" With one last shove, Juggernaut burst through the wall, hurled through it by Fred Dukes. Juggernaut sailed through the air, screaming at his opponent in humiliation and anger. Juggernaut had been pushed through the castle's outermost wall, to the exterior cliffside overlooking the sea. He continued to scream as he fell down the side of the cliff and plunged into the rocky, shallow waters below.

Fred Dukes looked out proudly from the hole he'd just created. Lance and Toad peered down, looking to check the damage. All of them knew that the Juggernaut couldn't be killed that easily. At worst, he might've been winded. It was only a matter of time before he fished himself out, climbed back up the cliff, and returned to the castle for his revenge. The team just had to finish up before that happened.

"I just realized, I've never heard you say 'shit,' Fred," Lance remarked.

--------------------

To Lucas's surprise, Pietro ran around him in circles, somehow immune to Lucas's mental attack. It only took a moment for Lucas to understand what was so different about Pietro's mind- it worked at an accelerated rate, just like his body. Ordinarily, this wouldn't be a big problem, but when Pietro actively moved around at high speed, it prevent Lucas from locking onto him properly, even when he was only a few feet away from him.

"If you're here to do something, do it!" Lucas growled. "I don't have times to play games with you!"

"Then let's get to it." Pietro suddenly charged at Lucas and threw him to the floor, jumping on him and taking a switchblade from his pocket. "Say goodnight, Lucas."

"Twit!" Lucas threw Pietro against the ceiling with a wave of his telekinesis, and then caught him as he fell to the ground. He brought the knife up to him, and then hurled it out the open window. "You forget I have other powers, didn't you?"

Pietro couldn't reply- his throat was sealing up, cutting off his air supply. In the midst of this, Psylocke had woken up, and looked up at the scene. Lucas gave her a furious glance, and Psylocke quietly let herself out of the room, as if she had been ordered.

"Magneto's son?" Lucas said to the suspended, strangled Pietro. "Sent here by the American government. What did you hope to accomplish? Did you honestly think an insect like you could _assassinate_ me? You think you're doing your sister a favor. Hah! I should turn you over to her as a gift, but I won't. If you'll forgive my selfishness, I'd like to put you down myself."

Pietro could only gurgle in reply, reaching up to his throat and trying to pry off the invisible grip around his neck, pawing at it like it would make any difference. His feet kicked around in the air, hoping to reach something solid so that he could ground himself and run out of the vice, but it was no use.

And then suddenly, Pietro fell, air returning to his lungs as he took a desperate gasp. The Scarlet Witch had arrived, and Pietro watched as his sister Wanda used her hexing powers to keep Lucas at bay.

"Wanda, what do you think you're doing?!" Lucas growled.

"He's lower than the slime covering the cliffs beneath this castle, but he's my brother, and I'll decide what to do with him," Wanda barked back. Wanda stepped forward as Lucas propped himself against the wall, recovering from the mental strain of having his mental powers neutralized. "Pietro, what are you doing here?"

"We need to talk," Pietro said calmly to his sister, still catching his breath. "I'm going to be honest with you, sis. SHIELD sent me... us, here so we could make contact with Lucas. I agreed to this because I needed to see you."

"SHIELD? And you brought the others with you... why? What is there to discuss, Pietro? I thought I made it clear that I want nothing to do with any of you. Now you're here to spy on me? Tell me the truth. For once in your miserable life, tell me the truth. Why are you doing this?"

"I hadn't seen you in a while," Pietro said with an honest smirk. "But... I also wanted to know why you decided to join with this clown. You really think you'd be happier if you killed our father?"

"Y..." Wanda hesitated. Standing before her was the brother who did nothing as she was taken away... but she caught a glimpse of something else. She and Pietro were riding on a merry-go-round with their father. Wanda couldn't remember a happier time in her life. Pietro had betrayed her more than once, but now she saw a look of sincerity in his expression. This wasn't the Pietro who had left his team behind to face the Sentinel, this was the Pietro who rode alongside her on that merry-go-round so many years ago.

But that never happened. It was just an implanted memory, left over even after Mastermind had restored her mind. Yet, that lingering moment was enough to convince Wanda that there was some measure of goodness in her brother.

"I don't know," Wanda said. "Maybe... maybe I'm better off if I just never see you or him again."

"Don't let him fool you," Lucas said, putting his arm around her. Wanda even let herself lean on him a little. "He left you for dead. Just like your father."

"I've made a decision," Wanda said, gently pushing Lucas away. "And it's not about you, or Pietro. I need to see my father. Maybe my memories still aren't all straight, but I need to make sure I know who it is I'm fighting against."

"Come to your senses, Wanda," Lucas said, with a hint of panic in his voice. "You know who he is! You know what he's capable of! You can't... you can't..." Lucas stopped as Wanda walked over to her brother, clearly ignoring him.

"I need you to take me to him," she told her brother.

--------------------

The discussion in the main keep of the castle was much less civil. Actually, I'm not sure how the word 'discussion' got in there. But, with Lance, Fred, Toad and Pyro on one side against Black Tom, Sack and Psylocke, there was little chance of the encounter being civil.

"He's having a chat?!" Black Tom Cassidy yelled when Psylocke informed him of Lucas's whereabouts. "That's fantastic. All of his power and that cowardly git can't even defend a castle properly." Black Tom pointed his cane at Lance and created a rapid stream of fire. Fortunately, Pyro caught it and aimed it right back at Black Tom, who jumped out of the way.

The gelatinous Sack stood behind Lance, doing nothing more than staring. Annoyed, Lance punched him in the face, and much to his alarm, found that his fist was trapped in the jaws of a black skeleton surrounded by blue, ooze-like slime skin. Yellow eyeballs rotated in their sockets to look down at the fist through the inner cavity of the skull. Shaking in what could only be a mockery of laughter from someone who clearly had no vocal cords, Sack raised two hands and seized Avalanche's arm, pushing it in deeper, swallowing it. Lance struggled to break free as Sack's jaw had unhinged itself.

Toad hopped towards Lance, but was intercepted in mid-leap by a flying kick from Psylocke. Toad skidded on his back for a moment before flipping himself upright and dashing forward, blocked her fist with his shoe, and kicked Psylocke against an arch at the keep's entrance. She recovered quickly and rushed back towards him. Startled, Toad jumped up to the archway's ceiling, but Psylocke couldn't be left behind- she kicked off one of the arches, then against the castle wall, and then back again, until she had climbed up to Toad's position. He laughed to himself and jumped away, leading her further away from the group.

Fred slammed his fist into what passed for Sack's kidneys, causing the gelatinous skin to jiggle. Fred reached inside and grabbed Sack's spine and lifted him up and off the ground. Lance's own weight was enough to release him from Sack's maw and he dropped onto the floor, his arm covered in blue slime. Feeling a stinging sensation on his skin, he rubbed his arm against Pyro's shoulder.

"Hey now!" Pyro yelled.

"Hey what?" Lance replied. Black Tom took advantage of the distraction and smacked Pyro across the face with his wooden cane. In retaliation, Lance tackled Black Tom, knocking his cane away. Sack, lying on the ground, tried to grab it in order to return it, but was dragged away by Fred, who gripped the hapless mutant by the legs and swung him around, again and again, until at last he let him fly right into a pillar. With a sickening splatter, Sack's ooze spilled across the pillar, on the floor beneath it, on the arch above it, and on some of the area behind it, with writhing pieces of Sack's torn skeleton squirming like uncovered worms. Psylocke even stopped her fight long enough to watch in disgust, leaving herself open to a tongue-lashing by Toad.

Psylocke had become careless- the impact shook her swords out of her hands and the tongue wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to Toad, and then he lifted her upwards. 'Aw man,' Toad thought to himself, 'She's at a disadvantage... If I wanted to, I could put my tongue anywhere on that body...' Fortunately, Toad showed some restraint, but that moment of thought cost him the battle. Psylocke had lost both swords, but she had a more dangerous blade- a psychic knife projected from the edge of her fist as pink energy and thrust right into Toad's forehead.

Toad saw only flashes of images- the castle, Lucas, Avalanche, Blob, Wanda- and then nothing else. He fell backwards and his tongue relaxed, allowing Psylocke her freedom.

"Damn it, Toad," Lance muttered.

Black Tom had regained his cane and pointed it at the back of Lance's head, surprising him.

"That's enough," he announced. Fred, Psylocke and Pyro all stopped on their tracks. Psylocke even gave herself a moment to relax, stretching her arms and back before leaning against the wall. "If either of you move, I'm smoking his head right off. I've deduced that you're here either for me or for Lucas. We'll find out soon enough. Psylocke, get Lucas down here. We're going to have to lock these boys up and get our answers the old fashioned way."

"Heh, I'm not with them, you know," Pyro chuckled. "I just led them in so you could get the jump on them."

"Pyro, I think you should know that I've always hated you," Black Tom said nonchalantly. "You'll go first."

"I'm afraid that won't be necessary," Lucas said, descending the staircase with Wanda and Pietro behind him. Black Tom looked up at him with suspicion. "We've reached something of an agreement."

"...An agreement?" Black Tom said, skeptically. He kept his cane pressed against Lance's head.

"Aye," Lucas confirmed. "Wanda has decided to go with them to see Magneto. That being the case, her brother Pietro has agreed that they will leave quietly. They will not betray our location to their superiors, and we will not come after them."

"They've defiled my property, Lucas. Your uncle's missing and one of my men is smeared against my wall. You may drive our partnership, but you do not give the orders in my castle."

"I told you," Lucas said rather smugly to Wanda and Pietro, crossing his arms. "If you want to get out, you'll have to deal with him." A second later, Black Tom dropped his cane as if it were piping hot- it might as well have been, as Wanda had activated a spark of his fire-casting power through it. That was all Lance needed to turn around and punch Black Tom in the jaw. Psylocke was prepared to pounce, but Wanda held out her hand, not to cast a hex but as a warning. Reluctantly, Psylocke sheathed her sword and stepped back.

Fred threw Toad's limp body over his shoulder and followed as Lance, Pietro and Wanda exited the castle. As they left, Psylocke rushed over to Black Tom and helped him sit up. He glared at the traitorous Pyro, who offered a half-apologetic grin and quickly followed after the Brotherhood.

"And you're just letting them go?!" Black Tom shouted to Lucas, once on his feet. "You're not as sharp as I believed."

"There's not much I can do to stop her," Lucas replied. From the corner of his eye he noticed Sack's parts were slowly moving towards each other and grimaced. "But more importantly, she'll lead us right to the brat pack's bosses. None of them know where, exactly, their commanders are located. But Wanda... she'll find them."

**Oh no!**

**There's a slight self-referential moment up there: Lance realizes he's never heard Blob say "shit." This is because I generally write Fred as being the least likely to swear (with Lance obviously being most likely). **

**So... Black Tom Cassidy. Traditionally, he's been the arch-nemesis of his cousin, Banshee. Banshee's not here. The cast's crowded enough as it is.**


	11. Act 3: Family Reunion

**Ah. On to Chapter 10. Alas!**

**Act 3, Chapter 2 (10)- Family Reunion**

"You did fine work," Commander Bishop said to Pietro Maximoff in the SHIELD hangar, as the other members of Pietro's team began to exit the chopper, along with Wanda and Pyro (who had been deprived of his flamethrowers). Pietro and the commander were several yards away- Bishop had taken him aside to discuss the mission. "The castle Lucas is hiding in belongs to the Black Tom Cassidy. He's a big crime lord, but he's not our problem unless he tries to protect Lucas."

"It's a shame we weren't able to bring him in ourselves," Pietro sighed. Though he had promised to Lucas that the castle's location wouldn't be reported, Pietro felt no guilt in doing so. He was Pietro, after all. He'd feel even less if he knew Lucas didn't quite plan to uphold his end of the bargain.

"You leave that to us. You and your team have done your part," Bishop said. "We're going to see what we can learn from the captives you did bring in."

"Uh, about that... they sort of helped us out back there. They came willingly. I mean, that should count for something, right?"

"You leave that to us," Bishop repeated. "You and your team will be escorted out and given your payment. On behalf of SHIELD and the US Government, I thank you." Bishop saluted and Pietro weakly returned it. He turned back to the group, who stood by the chopper quietly. Wanda was several feet away from them. Throughout the ride back, she hadn't spoken a single word to anyone but Pietro, or even so much as made eye contact.

"...We're free to go," Pietro told his team, faking a smile. "Uh, except for you, Pyro. They want to ask you a few questions. And... uh... you too, Wanda."

"I'm not answering anything," Wanda asserted. "The only reason I came along was to see Magneto."

"I know you don't trust these guys... neither do I," Pietro assured her. "But the sooner we get through this, the better. Let's just try to avoid getting into a messy situation, okay."

Wanda groaned and nodded. She and Pyro were led to Bishop, and while he spoke with his new guests, Pietro remained with his team.

"So... they ain't gonna lock her up or anythin', right?" Toad asked.

"No. They can't. Right? Nah, they wouldn't." Silent, the group watched to see where Wanda would be taken. However, SHIELD guards had already arrived to escort them out. The group began to walk, but Pietro kept his head turned towards Wanda, and noticed that Toad did as well.

"Hey, what's...?" Toad didn't have to finish. Bishop was walking away as four SHIELD agents seized Wanda and Pyro. Wanda's hands were bound behind her. Two seconds later, the links on her handcuffs evaporated, and she threw her hands at the guards, blasting them across the hangar. Bishop was already calling for backup when Wanda destroyed his radio. Not satisfied, she launched a hex bolt at him- but to her astonishment, Bishop caught it with his hand. The bolt remained on his hand long enough to turn red and fire back at Wanda, knocking her onto her back.

It wasn't clear who moved first, Pietro or Toad. What was clear was that Pietro arrived first, dashing towards Bishop's side and punching him in the face. A cackling Pyro jumped up and down, cheering. With the rest of the team now arriving, Lance pushed Pyro in mid-jump and knocked him over.

"Lance, get Wanda," Pietro ordered. Lance was about to pick her up, but she shrugged his hand off, and stood up on her own.

"What now, fearless leader? We're fucked!" Lance protested.

"Blob, cover us! Toad, can you fly that jet?" Toad mumbled for a bit. "Oh, who cares. Just get in there." Pietro took his sister and ran to the chopper, and moments later, Toad arrived, followed by Lance. Fred remained in the hangar (along with a bound Pyro) as Bishop got back to his feet, and his reinforcements arrived, immediately opening fire. Fred had placed himself so that the agents wouldn't be able to fire on the open door of the chopper (and the armor on the vehicle made sure it couldn't just be shot down). Bishop took his white plastic gun and fired a red blast at Fred; and like Wanda, he was just a bit surprised by how much of a wallop it packed.

"Fred, get in here!" Lance yelled, while Bishop prepared another blast. Fred turned his back on the SHIELD agents and ran for the chopper, jumping in and rocking it as Toad piloted it out of the hangar. Before they were clear, Lance threw the Pilot onto the hangar floor. He quickly closed the side door and they flew off.

"Get me Fury," Bishop said to one of the agents. "We've got fugitives."

-------------------------------

Toad kept his sweaty, trembling hands on the controls of the chopper. He knew Lance was right; they were fucked. He knew they were on borrowed time, and that the moment SHIELD got their hands on them, they'd be locked up. They wouldn't even be given a trial- SHIELD didn't have to play by the same rules as the rest of the government. Seated in the co-pilot's seat, Lance's expression did nothing to ease Toad. He kept rubbing his face, both exasperated and anxious about the situation. They had already ditched the equipment SHIELD had given them as tracking devices, but that did nothing to calm them.

"Th-they're gonna find this thing," Toad said to the others. "They probably got like a trackin' device on this..."

"I know we're fucked!" Pietro yelled back. "But I couldn't just leave."

"I knew I never should have listened to you," Lance groaned. "There was a little voice in my head saying 'don't be retarded, Pietro's going to screw you over again,' and I didn't listen. Fuck, I should've just taken Lucas's offer."

"Lucas's offer?" Wanda asked, seated across from Pietro and Fred. "What did he offer you?"

"He wanted me to be part of his goon squad. I told him to go away."

"He never told me had was trying to recruit any of you. Who else did he go to?" Wanda asked, looking around.

"Nobody," Fred answered. "I guess he thought Lance was the only one who was good enough."

"...Or the only one he felt was willing to work with him," Wanda added, rubbing her forehead.

"Is this a problem?" Lance asked, irritated enough by their situation.

"No, it's nothing," Wanda said. "Forget about it. These idiots have a point, Pietro. Just what are you going to do now?"

"Won't be much longer before we've got some SHIELD jets on our tails," Pietro told the group. "But there's one place where we can hide out for-" He was interrupted by a loud groan from Lance. "...Shut up, Lance, it's our only option right now."

"I know, but I'm getting kind of tired of having to ask for that guy's help," Lance told him. "It'd bad enough I told Kitty I was considering taking classes there. There's gotta be somewhere else we can go. Maybe one of you guys knows where Mystique is..."

"You honestly think we'd be better off finding Mystique?!" Pietro retorted. "Face it, Alvers, this is our only chance."

"Uh, just so we're clear," Toad asked from the pilot's seat, "You guys are talking about Xavier, right? Because he ain't gonna like this."

-------------------------------

Erik Lehnsherr sat in his room, quietly reading "King Lear" with Mozart's Exsultate Jubilate playing in the background. Hearing the sound of the Velocity outside, he wiggled his finger to turn the volume up. He idly wondered why they the helicopter was in use when he hadn't cleared any missions, but assumed that perhaps Cyclops had given someone an assignment. He wasn't in any mood to go argue with the younger mutants.

After a moment, he noticed that the helicopter's sound remained. He set down his book and looked out the window to see that a SHIELD helijet was hovering over the Institute grounds. Already, Cyclops, Jean, and Colossus were outside to greet it. Leaving his room, Erik saw that Charles was already on his way out.

"Why is SHIELD here?" Erik asked.

"I know as much as you do, I imagine," Xavier replied.

"What is wrong with you?!" Cyclops yelled through the windshield at Toad, sitting in the pilot's chair, as the jet touched down. Toad, unable to properly hear as the rotors powered down, shrugged and shook his head. Fred threw open the side door, literally- Colossus caught it and tossed it aside. Pietro then jumped out of the jet. "Blob? Pietro? What do you think you're doing here? Don't tell me you hijacked this thing! What are you thinking bringing it here?!"

"We need the Institute's help," Pietro admitted.

"I have to agree with Cyclops's sentiments," Erik said, appearing with Professor Xavier. "What have you done now?"

"We need to hide out," Pietro explained to his father. "Yeah, we hijacked a SHIELD jet, if you have to know, Summers, and we're probably being chased. If you can harbor a bunch of confused students, you can harbor us." Toad and Fred were already outside. Lance followed, and then Wanda appeared, remaining inside the jet to observe the proceedings.

"Wanda?" Erik asked. "What happened? I thought-"

"She's with us," Pietro said. He guessed that Magneto was trying to avoid tipping the X-Men to his knowledge of the Brotherhood's mission. "SHIELD sent us to find her and Lucas. She came back with us, but SHIELD's goons wanted to detain her. So... we're on the lam and we need a place to hide."

"I appreciate the gravity of your situation," Xavier said, "But we can't risk having SHIELD on our list of enemies. I'm sorry, Pietro, but we can't afford to harbor any fugitives." Pietro looked to his father, his eyes telling him that he expected help from him. After all, he did bring Wanda back.

"Charles, a moment." Erik and Xavier moved to one side to talk in private. "If we help them, Wanda may become more sympathetic to us... and she could give us information about your son."

"I know that, Magnus. But... we can't risk this. We have our students to consider now." As if to illustrate his point, students had already gathered at the entrance to the mansion, wondering what was going on at the front lawn. "I'm afraid we have to consider their safety before our own."

"Charles... let me take the blame."

"What?" Xavier asked, stunned.

"I was a known terrorist, but you have a clean history. SHIELD trusts you. If they come here looking for them, I will take full responsibility. You can deny any knowledge or involvement. You and the Institute will remain safe, and I will answer to SHIELD."

"Magnus, I can't let you do that. You've worked too hard to rebuild your reputation, you can't risk it now. I'm sorry, but I can't-"

"Charles, please," Erik told him. Though Magneto had reformed, Charles wasn't used to hearing him say 'please,' and was disarmed by it. "Wouldn't you risk the same in order to protect your son?"

Charles couldn't readily answer that.

"...I don't like this, Magnus," Charles relented. "We will house them, but... I won't become involved in any SHIELD investigation. I _will_ deny that I knew anything about this. I just hope that you realize how much you are throwing away for this."

"Five years ago, I wouldn't have done this."

"Five years ago, you wouldn't have been afraid of SHIELD." Xavier quietly turned away from the helijet and back towards the mansion, leaving Erik to deal with the newcomers.

"Go inside, all of you," He said to his children and their team. Pietro motioned for everyone to follow him. Wanda lingered for a moment as Erik stayed with the SHIELD jet. "Wanda, we can talk inside. First, I need to clear this out." Erik raised his hand and the heli-jet's rotors came to life, along with the jet engines. Inside the cockpit, the autopilot switch was engaged, and the heli-jet took to the sky. Magneto spun it around and sent it flying in an arbitrary direction. He guessed that SHIELD would detect that their chopper had landed briefly at the Institute's coordinates, but the decoy would at least buy him time.

-------------------------------

"So, I guess the whole gang's moved in," Kitty said to Lance. They sat together on the stairs in the mansion's foyer, while the others loitered around the main area. Fred, Pietro and Toad stuck together, but Wanda was a fair distance away, seated near a window. Several of the students were puzzled by the Brotherhood's appearance, and stayed away from them. "Why is it that you guys come here when there's trouble, but you still hate us?"

"We don't hate you," Lance explained. "Well, I don't. We just hate stuck-up types like Summers. You can't tell me he'd have left us to rot in a SHIELD cell if it were up to him."

"Can you blame him?" Kitty retorted. "You guys don't exactly have a reputation for making nice with people. Plus, you go out of your way to push Scott's buttons."

"That's only because he does the same to me," Lance defended. "Remember the time I joined you guys? I was trying to get along, but he was a dick to me that whole week."

"Again, can you blame him?" Below, Fred had claimed a couch for himself. Pietro squeezed into the small space left, while Toad hopped onto the armrest. With his tongue, he grabbed a magazine from a nearby table and began flipping through it. "You know, in a weird, creepy way, it's kind of nice to see you guys back together."

"Hey Toad, where do you guys keep the snacks around here?" Fred asked.

"Kitchen's usually closed at this hour. There's a fridge in th' staff lounge, but Summers is probably gonna keep us outta there."

"Well screw him, I'm hungry."

"Fred? Hey, Freddy!" Fred strained to turn his head and look behind him at an odd angle, and spotted Ellie Harsaw, the lavender-haired girl he had met in Dallas. She was walking out of the library with a group of students, but moved away once she saw Fred, letting the group go on without her. "I didn't think you'd visit so soon!"

"Aw, heck!" Fred stood up quickly (with the sudden shift in balance forcing Pietro to fall onto the area previously occupied by the Blob), and embraced Ellie. He immediately felt the wide-eyed looks of the other guys. For the moment, he brushed it off. He'd explain later. "It's only been a few days. So, uh, how you been?"

"I'm doing fine, I guess." Ellie looked much more self-assured than she did just a week before, when Fred had met her as a runaway, which wasn't really saying much, but at least she didn't seem depressed. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh, just visiting," he lied. "Me and the boys came to check up on our pal Toad here. I was hoping I'd get a chance to see you, too." By now, several students were watching them, curious about these strange newcomers who were hanging out with Magneto's right-hand thug.

"Are we celebrities again?" Pietro muttered to Toad, who just shrugged and turned back to his magazine. Pietro stood up. "Yeah, it's us. The Brotherhood, live and in-person." Pietro even stroked his hair and struck a dynamic pose. Fred and Toad did nothing. On the stairs, Lance just rolled his eyes and while Kitty giggled. "I'm sure you've heard all about us."

"Yeah," Ellie said. "We've had lessons about you. But... the teachers tell us a different story than you did, Fred."

"And what would that be?" Pietro asked. Fred glanced around nervously.

"...And here it comes," Toad muttered knowingly to himself.

"The X-Men used to kick your sorry asses all the time back in the day!" a jock boy said, overhearing the conversation.

"I asked you what our status was, Toad," Pietro snarled.

"You asked if we were celebrities. It's kinda half-true, so I just shrugged." Toad repeated the shrug and turned back to the magazine.

"You gotta understand, there's four of us," Pietro explained. "Sometimes five. The X-Men have always had at least six, and then they had times like when we tried to beat up Mayor Kelly, and they brought everyone. That was what, seventeen against four? Forget the X-Men's self-serving revisionist history. Let me tell you how it really was..."

-------------------------------

"I... knew all about what they were doing," Erik Lehnsherr admitted. He stood together with Wanda, though several feet apart, watching over the empty courtyard, long after the sun had set, from the balcony of Wanda's guest room on the second level of the Xavier Institute. The wind blew the curtains lightly, along with Wanda's and Erik's hair.

"I know," Wanda said. "They couldn't have found me without either yours or Xavier's help. I also know that they were all offered money, but all Pietro would get was a pardon." Wanda couldn't remember a time when she had stood next to her father without trying to kill him. At least not in actual memory. "SHIELD or Lucas will come for me. I don't think I'm going back to either."

"I doubt Lucas will come. He needed you to fight us. Without you, I don't think he has the courage."

"He does," Wanda said. "But he's too obsessive to go through with his plans if he's not sure I'll be there to back him up. The X-Men would have a better chance if they were more... proactive. Why does Xavier insist on sitting here and waiting for trouble to come to him?"

"Perhaps being confined to a wheelchair has made him reluctant to pursue any activity," he mused. "He is very stubborn, in his own passive way. He has his flaws... but he's a good man. He gave me a second chance, even after everything I'd done. If you weren't being pursued, he would offer you the same."

"Why? So I can be one of the X-Men?" Wanda scoffed.

"Their ideals may be naive, but they mean well. They want to live normal lives, but they've been cursed as we have."

"What's so great about being normal anyway?" Wanda asked as she leaned forward against the railing. "I don't think humans are ever going to like us. Why try living with them?"

"I used to think that way. Sometimes, I still do. I'm giving Charles's dream a chance. But what hope do these children have?" There was a long moment of silence. Looking for something to talk about, Wanda took the initiative.

"Is Kelly still mayor?"

"Unfortunately. Public opinion is turning in his favor, which is why the X-Men must present themselves as friends. This was one of Wolverine's two reasons for leaving."

"What was the second?" Wanda asked.

"Me." Erik lifted his hand and brought his old helmet to him, looking down on it as if looking at the face of a different man. "I can't say I blame him. Even now, I find it hard to get along with most of the X-Men. Cyclops still refuses to trust me. Colossus never speaks to me. Only Shadowcat and Beast consider me their friend. And as much as I hate to admit it, Toad is more reliable than I'd imagined."

"If you keep that thing around, they're not going to trust you."

"I need it. It's not easy living with two powerful telepaths. Some of the students enrolling here have shown minor abilities. Sometimes, I need privacy." Erik set the helmet down on the railing, and a moment of silence passed by with the light breeze. "Wanda... our time together right now will be very short," Erik told her. "Before we say anything else, there's something I need you to know." Wanda looked at him, prepared for another one of his empty apologies.

"Several years ago, I was living in Romania," Erik explained. "Specifically, Transia. I had spent years trying to determine what I was, experimenting and researching. I had become worried that, at my old age, I had accomplished nothing, and still did not understand what I was. My research brought me to the Cyttorak gems... and exposure to them not only enhanced my powers, but rejuvenated my appearance. I felt like I'd had a second chance at life. I was determined not to waste it. Eventually, I met someone, and fell in love. The woman's name was Magda... Magda Maximoff. She was your mother, and you deserve to know what happened to her."

Wanda looked out onto the courtyard. She had no memory of her mother. Magneto could make up any story, and she'd have no way of confirming it.

"Your mother's death was my fault." Wanda's eyes widened slightly and she looked at her father with interest. "In those days, Romania had fallen under Communist rule... some fought against it. These revolutionaries had to find ways to stay hidden, and they trespassed on the home Magda and I shared. In my arrogance, I thought I could drive them all way, but I was a fool. They were frightened by my powers... as I knew that all humans would be... and in their terror, they decided that my family was as evil as I was. I killed several of them myself, but not wanting to shed any more blood, I let two get away. Less than a week later, your mother took you and your brother into town to see the doctor for a routine checkup. The two that got away attacked them in the town with several more men. Your mother distracted them while a... good samaritan carried you away to safety, but they ended your mother. When I learned of what happened, I went to town. In my anger I killed many... not all of them guilty."

Wanda had no words for him.

"For years I told myself that I was justified. My pride wouldn't allow me to see that I was wrong." Erik's hands tightened against the railing. "It was shortly after that that I met Charles, and came to the conclusion that I was a mutant. I convinced myself that they had done it to spite me because of my mutant powers."

"So not only did you lock me away and try to change my memories, you doomed my mother," Wanda said solemnly. "You're not making a good case for yourself."

"I just want you to know the truth, Wanda," Erik admitted. "Putting you away was a very difficult decision for me. I convinced myself that if I was to succeed in conquering the lesser race... I would need no obstacles. Once you were out of the way, I placed Pietro in a foster home. I'm not sure if he ever told you, but we didn't meet again until I recruited him for the Brotherhood."

"That wasn't far from when Mystique rescued me," Wanda said. "So you were a jerk to him, too. I always thought you favored him."

"Had he developed powers like yours, I would have treated him the same way. When you re-emerged and began to hunt me, I hired Mastermind to change your memories."

"I know that! He put them back. I remember everything now. The cold cell, the dry food, the years of solitude... it never once occurred to you that if I ever got out, I would want revenge?"

"It did. I thought Charles would keep you in line so that I wouldn't need to step in. I underestimated Mystique's resolve." Erik turned away to face the doorway of the balcony. "I was always mistaken about Mystique. I scared her into helping me, but after several years, she gained the courage to stand against me... now she's one of my most cunning enemies. When I recruited my Acolytes, I did the same with Colossus. But when I saw Charles' recruits respected him... I wanted that. I was tired of being feared. I wanted to be respected."

"Good luck with that. I can see where Lucas is coming from now. Go, have fun with your new kids. The old ones are broken, so just leave them on the sidewalk for the garbagemen to collect. What is your point?"

When Wanda turned to look at him, she almost lost her balance in shock. The undersides of Magneto's eyes were wet and dripped down into his cheeks. Wanda looked into his eyes and no longer saw the bitter madness of a conqueror, but only the regret of a man who had made many mistakes in his long life.

Magneto couldn't say anything else. He collapsed into Wanda's arms and rested his tired head on her shoulders, releasing his restraint and crying against her.

"I'm so sorry, Wanda... I'm so sorry..."

He had to be faking it. Could it be real? Could she really continue hunting a man like him? If he truly regretted it, then it seemed his actions had caught up to him, and whatever punishment she gave him couldn't match what life had already done to the man.

Immediately, she thought of Lucas, whose madness was beginning to rival Magneto's. His quest for revenge came before anything else and he went to great steps simply because he wanted a psychological victory. To spite his father. Lucas's father hadn't even abandoned him; he simply didn't know he had ever been born. Wanda had known that, but her own hatred of her father had blinded her so that she could form an alliance with someone she thought she had something in common with. Was that what she was like? She couldn't be as fanatical as Lucas. She wouldn't be. But still...

"This is all nice... but it doesn't change anything."

"I understand, Wanda," Erik sighed.

"I'd like to get some rest... if you don't mind," Wanda told him somewhat tensely, though a bit weakly. Erik took the hint and began to leave.

"Wanda... I want you to know that... even though I've been a monster to you... I still love you. And I am here for you, if you ever need me." Wanda didn't reply. Erik silently walked out and closed the door behind him. Wanda sat down and let herself fall onto the bed. She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She wanted to destroy everything around her.

She couldn't find the strength to do any of that. She couldn't even fall asleep. She just sat on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, thinking about her life, Lucas, her father, her old friends, and her future.

-------------------------------

"I disagree with this entire idea," Cyclops told Lance, Fred, Pietro and Toad as he led them through the dormitory wing that night. "I hope you all realize that we won't be covering for you if SHIELD comes looking for you."

"Yeah, yeah," Lance said. "Trust me, Summers, if you came to our place with SHIELD on your tail, we'd do the same thing."

"That's assuming I'd be stupid enough to go to you for help." Cyclops led them into one of the unused rooms in the boys' dormitory. The students were usually placed four to six to a room, but three rooms were always left in reserve for guests. Wanda had been shown a room in the girls' wing on the opposite side of the mansion. "Make yourselves at home. Look, just try to stay out of sight," Cyclops told them. "We're trying to minimize our liability. It's going to be hard to do that if we have the five of you stomping around the place. Stay here, and we'll have meals brought to you. Oh, and Toad, Magneto wants you to report for duty."

"Aww. Well, work is work, even at midnight," Toad said, and hopped along with Cyclops down the hall.

"I have to say, I think everyone called bullshit on everything you just said back there," Lance said to Pietro, in reference to his chat with a group of students about the Brotherhood's history.

"It all happened," Pietro insisted. "Your memory's just as shoddy as your taste in apparel."

"We did not fight Apocalypse. Do you know how I know that? Because we've never even been in the same room with Apocalypse!"

"_You've_ never been in the same room as Apocalypse, Lance. If you're going to complain about minor details, you'll never be the storyteller I am."

"While we're here, what was the deal with that Ellie girl?" Lance asked Fred, who was carrying a large sub sandwich with him as a late night snack. "Since when do you care about people?"

"Uh... that was all Unus's idea. You know Unus, my boss? He takes in runaways all the time." Fred took a bite. With his mouth full, he added, "Besides, she's a good kid. She needed a place to stay, so I pointed her over here."

"You've gone soft, man," Lance said, chuckling. "Used to be we'd beat up anyone who looked at us funny. Now Fred's taking in strays, Pietro's risking prison for his sister and I'm..." Lance stopped himself before he gave them any fuel. "I'm the only tough guy left." In response, Fred pushed Lance, knocking him to the floor with ease. "Hey!"

"See? I'm still tough." Lance began to stand up, but Fred pushed him back down. "See?"

"Ha, ha. You made your point, Blob." Lance stood up again, and once more Fred pushed him down. "Cut it out!" Lance stood up again, and Fred pushed him. "That's it!" Lance clenched his fists and the hall began to shake. Flakes of debris began to fall from the ceiling. Fred had already rooted himself on the ground, so the tremor had no effect on him, but the doors all flew open as the boys rushed out to see what was going on.

"Sweet! Fight!" one of them yelled. Their calls were silenced when Scott showed up, having already changed out of his uniform, but keeping his visor. Kurt also teleported in, and an unarmored Piotr came in after them.

"Break it up, break it up!" Scott ordered. "I don't know who started what, but if you're going to stay here, you're going to behave, you got it?"

"Yes, I do not want to have to be rough with children present," Piotr added, palming a fist. He was looked at Fred in particular, more eager to match brawn against him than he'd care to admit. Brotherhood and X-Men confrontations had an uncanny tendency to be symmetrical, and if they weren't, they became that way. Pietro and Kurt had already locked eyes, and Scott and Lance were just a hair away from exchanging blows.

"Yeah, we wouldn't want the kids to see how a fight between us REALLY ends," Lance threatened. "C'mon guys. In the morning, we'll listen to how Summers single-handedly took us all out." As Lance turned his back, Scott grabbed his shoulder. Lance prepared to strike, but saw that Scott just wanted to have the last word.

"Magneto might give you chumps a free pass, but not me or the Professor. You do anything stupid and I'm turning you into SHIELD myself."

"That's not gonna happen," Pietro said.

"You want to try me, Maximoff?" Pietro responded by pointing behind him. Against his better judgment, Scott turned around to the hall window. A SHIELD helijet was making a landing.

-------------------------------

Outside, Commander Bishop and four SHIELD agents exited the lead jet. Two others were landing on opposite sides of a triangle formation around the mansion, each with six SHIELD agents. Within moments, Professor X and Magneto were out the door to greet them, along with Toad. Kurt teleported onto the front steps with Scott and Piotr. The agents were already dispersing across the Institute grounds.

"Professor Xavier," Bishop called. "Our sensors detected a stolen chopper landing here. We discovered it heading out towards the ocean, empty, and came here. We're looking for five fugitives, all mutants."

"Commander, I appreciate your situation, but I will not have you invading my school without just cause. I assure you, we harbor no fugitives. This is a school."

"With all due respect to you, Professor," Bishop said, with his arms behind his back, "SHIELD intelligence is never wrong. There's one of them, right behind you. These five are important to a larger case. Under government authority, I am ordering that you hand them over, or we will take them by force."

"We will do no such thing," Magneto said, with Toad at his feet. "Toad serves me, and you will not take him nor any of the others."

"Suit yourself." Bishop pulled out a plastic pistol. Immediately, Toad lunged at him, tackling him to the ground. Magneto pulled the rifles away from the agents flanking Bishop and tore them to pieces.

"Charles, I must apologize. I've known all along," Magneto said for the benefit of SHIELD.

"Magnus... I can't risk the students. If you know where the other four are, hand them over!"

"I will do no such thing. Toad, get the others. Get as far from here as you can." Toad nodded and hopped away. "And Toad..." Toad paused to hear Magneto's final order. "Keep her safe." Toad turned and hopped back towards the mansion as Magneto tore the SHIELD helicopter open. The pilot jumped out before Magneto crumpled it all into a useless ball.

"Magnus!" Xavier pleaded, no longer just pretending to go along with Magneto's story, "Stop this! Let them do their job! They won't be harmed!"

"I'm sorry, Charles, but you know as well as I do that there is no guarantee."

-------------------------------

"What's going on?" Kitty asked, phasing through a wall to meet with Lance, who was rushing down the hall with Fred and Pietro (who rather quickly passed them and ran ahead). "Don't tell me you're going to try escaping."

"That's exactly what we're doing," Lance replied. "Toad knows the place, so he's setting up an escape route. He's already got Wanda with him."

"Lance, don't you think they're going to find you anyway?"

"Yeah, but you can't blame us for trying."

"Well you're not moving very fast. Gimme your hands." Kitty took Lance and Fred's hands, and the three sunk into the floor. They emerged near the elevator on the floor below, where Toad, Pietro and Wanda waited.

"I forgot how weird that feels," Fred noted.

"Alright guys, we're goin' down," Toad told them, hopping into the open elevator. Pietro, Fred and Wanda quickly joined him, but Lance lingered for a second. "C'mon, Lance, what are ya waitin' for?"

"Kitty, I-" Without letting him speak, Kitty made the first move and kissed him. Lance held her tightly and returned her passion, feeling her warm body against his.

"Lance, come on!" Pietro yelled. After a moment, Lance broke the embrace. He looked into Kitty's eyes for a moment before running to the closing elevator. He kept his eyes focused on her as the doors closed, and the last image in his mind was a worried Kitty, wishing him luck with her blue eyes.

-------------------------------

Toad hopped out of the elevator door to the lowest sub-basement of the Institute, such a distance beneath the mansion that it was mostly rock, with only some metal panels to help keep a defined shape. Behind him were Fred, Lance, Pietro, and a confused Wanda.

"Will someone tell me where we're going?" she demanded.

"There's some tunnels around here that lead out," Toad explained as he hopped. "Xavier keeps them for last-ditch escapes, like the one we're doin' right now."

"Okay, but where do they lead?" Lance asked.

"Out!" Toad jumped into a side cave, and the others followed. "This one goes to a cave behind th' grounds. They ain't gonna think to look over there."

"What about Magneto?" Wanda asked.

"He's givin' us cover, which is why we gotta move!" After they'd cleared a metal doorway, Lance stopped and raised his hands. The tunnel began to shake and collapse, piling around the metal door. With the way in sealed, the group continued down the tunnel.

**"Nice" Magneto and classic Evo Magneto don't mesh as well as I had hoped, so a little bit of the 616 and Movie Magnetos are thrown in to even things out. I try to avoid doing that, but this time, it was difficult. He's still fairly in-character.**


	12. Act 3: Lucas Strikes Back

**Is the chapter title a double Star Wars reference? Yes, but surprisingly, it came about as a coincidence. Odd. Oh, and excuse the grammar.**

**Act 3, Chapter 3 (11)- Lucas Strikes Back**

The Brotherhood emerged from a cave a quarter of a mile from the Institute, leading to a thick forest outside of the mansion grounds, and away from any other suburban development in Bayville. There was no sign of any SHIELD helijets. Fred stopped to catch his breath, hunching over a bit while Lance and Pietro stopped near him. Wanda remained behind, with Toad jumping over her and clinging to the trunk of a tree.

"Okay, where to from here?" Lance asked.

"We head to the city," Pietro said. "They'll have a harder time if they have to wade through all the civilians." Without saying anything, Wanda began to walk away. "Wanda, where are you going?"

"I'm going my own way. I'm not about to follow any of you," she told him. "I have a better chance without you."

"Are you out of your mind? We need to stick together. We ran from SHIELD for your sake, Wanda-"

"I never asked you to!" she yelled. Pietro had nothing to add. "I wouldn't be running from SHIELD if you hadn't made a deal with them."

"So I suppose you're going to run back to Lucas," Pietro snarked.

"Where I go is none of your business," Wanda snarled. "But I'm going alone." She started to move away. Toad was ready to hop after her, but Lance stopped him, shaking his head.

"We can't force her back into the gang," Pietro told the others. "She'll be fine on her own. Now we just have to worry about our own skins."

-------------------------------

Back at the front lawn of the Xavier Institute, Magneto pulled a fleeing heli-jet out of the sky and threw it down to the ground. As the agents jumped out, he crumpled it, like he had Bishop's jet. That left only one other. As expected, none of the X-Men came out to aid Magneto.

But to his surprise, a single student did.

"What are you doing?!" Magneto yelled. "Get back inside! Now!"

"I know why you're doing this," Ellie told him, running out to the front lawn. "I'm here to help!"

"For your own sake, get back inside right now!" Magneto roared. As his back was turned, Bishop fired a blast from his plastic gun, knocking Magneto onto his back. Immediately, Ellie held out her hand, and nothing happened. Bishop took a moment to stare, wondering what was going on. After a few seconds, a bolt of pink lightning shot out of Ellie's hand, throwing Bishop's weapon from his hand.

"If that's how you want to play," Bishop threatened. He pointed his fist at Ellie and fired again, releasing a small but forceful beam, knocking Ellie back several feet. Magneto pulled some scrap from one of the broken helijets and hurled it at Bishop, who rolled beneath it, then jumped as it swung back around. Bishop aimed his fist at Magneto, but then stopped suddenly, bending over and grabbing his head long enough for Magneto's scrap to strike him in the back. Magneto turned to Ellie, who he saw was concentrating on him, emitting an electrostatic signal that momentarily disrupted Bishop's brain patterns. Magneto was curiously immune to it.

"Your skills are improving quickly," Magneto noted. "But it's time you left. He will use deadly force if he has to." Ellie nodded, and ran before Bishop could recover. She looked at her hands, realizing that she was gaining control over her powers. Once he saw that she was leaving, Magneto turned back to Bishop... just in time to see that two SHIELD agents had pulled a weapon from the downed helijet. They fired a blinding white light at Magneto, and to his shock, he found that his powers had no effect on the weapon. He could feel a tingling, slightly burning sensation where the white light hit him- any movement caused him pain. He motioned towards the helijet, but it refused to respond, either. Magneto felt as if his arms had been severed, but his brain hadn't realized it. Before he could come to the realization that his powers were being nullified, an agent knocked him on the back of the head with the butt of a twisted rifle. Magneto dropped to the ground and two more agents jumped on him, binding his hands behind him.

"You're too late," the weakened Magneto said. "They've already made their escape."

"They won't be out for long," Bishop told him. "As for you, my superiors will decide your fate." Magneto tried to reach out at his bindings, but his magnetic powers had been drained from him. The one remaining helijet was called over to the front lawn and loaded with Magneto. The unconscious agents were also carried in.

From a balcony, Professor Xavier watched as Bishop and his men departed. He focused on Magneto and told him, "Magnus, you didn't have to do this. You didn't have to throw everything away."

"No, Charles," Magneto replied telepathically. "I did. It's time I paid for my sins. All of them."

-------------------------------

The Brotherhood, sans Wanda, hid at Bayville High School, entering carefully without tripping any alarms, as they'd done numerous times while working for Mystique. They sat down in the principal's office as Fred opened a bucket of chicken and Pietro and Lance took a leg each, with Toad snagging a wing with his tongue. They hadn't bought the chicken, of course, but Fred asked Toad to snag it from someone's patio table as they ran.

"What are we gonna do?" Toad asked. "We can't run for long, they're gonna find us."

"I think we should split up," Lance suggested. "If they find us all together, we're all screwed."

"Are you crazy?!" Toad jumped onto the desk next to Lance. "Ain't you ever seen any movies, yo? When we split up, that's when they find us! United we stand, man, united we stand!"

"Then you come up with something!"

"Lance is right," Pietro said. "We need to split in half. Two of us go one way, two of us go another."

"Why not split into four?" Fred asked.

"If we have two, then we can cover each other's weaknesses. You wouldn't get very far without one of us helping you out, Blob."

"Too true," Fred sighed. "And Lance would probably make all kinds of noise and just draw attention to himself."

"Me?!" Lance protested. "Pietro would be the one getting all cocky and trying to mess with those agents!"

"What?!" Pietro scoffed. "Please, I don't waste my time playing with wusses. Toad's got it the worst, he can't go five seconds without screwing up!"

"If it wasn't for me, we wouldn't have gotten outta th' mansion, or into this school to begin with!" Toad snapped.

"Yeah right, Toad, I move fast enough to get by any alarm."

"But then how would we have gotten in?" Fred pressed.

"Well I'd deactivate the alarm from the inside, or something. You'd probably just punch through a door and waltz right in. You guys don't have the touch for subtlety like I do. Maybe Toad, but only because he's too weak to be obvious about what he does." Pietro dashed out of the way of a pouncing Toad. "You thought I wouldn't see that coming? I- AH!"

"Who's laughing now?" Lance said, holding Pietro in an unexpected headlock. Toad stuck out his tongue from across the room, nearly touching the squirming Pietro's nose. As the two laughed, Fred grabbed Lance by his shirt and held him up. "Hey! What are you doing?"

"Two against one ain't fair!"

"Yeah, but you count for at least four!" Pietro remarked.

"Hey, I was helping you!" Fred threw Lance at Pietro and then picked up the desk. "You're nothing but a traitor, Pietro! You always were!"

"Whoa!" Toad yelled, sitting on top of the desk. "What are you doin', Freddy?"

"Are you idiots done yet?" Wanda asked from the doorway. They all stood still- Pietro standing back up, Lance lying on the ground, and Todd sitting on the desk being held over Fred's head. Fred set the desk down, Lance stood up, and Pietro straightened his outfit. "I figured you guys would hide in here. I'm surprised SHIELD hasn't already found you."

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Lance asked. "I thought you said you didn't need us."

"Look, you guys aren't going to get very far without my help." They all hung their heads. She had a point.

"So you were worried about us?" Todd grinned.

"No, I just..." Wanda struggled to find an excuse, and realized that even she didn't know why she'd come looking for them. "We need to get out of here."

"I love you too, babycakes." Toad hugged her, but she pushed him away. "Hehe... oh, shit."

"What?" Todd hopped to the window and looked down at the street. Wanda stood up and followed him. "Oh, shit."

"What?! WHAT?!" Pietro zipped over to them. "Oh, sh-"

"_Just tell us what's going on!_"Lance yelled.

"They're here!" Pietro yelled back.

"I told you we shouldn't have hid somewhere so close! Okay. Are we splitting up or what?"

"Yeah," Pietro said. "Toad, Lance and Blob are on one team. Wanda and I are on the other."

"Where do we meet up?" Todd asked.

"We'll meet up at the outdoor amphitheatre." Pietro looked out the window and saw the agents quickly and safely opening the front door of the school. "They're probably coming in through multiple entrances. Lucky for us, Mystique always had a way out." Pietro pulled up a section of the carpet from the corner of the room to reveal a trapdoor.

"Nothing here," a SHIELD agent said as he scoured the hallway. "Anything in the north wing?"

"Just a bucket of chicken and an open window," Lieutenant Denti, Bishop's right-hand man, said from the principal's office. "They were here. They couldn't have gotten far. Agents, move out."

Several yards away, Wanda and Pietro climbed out of another trapdoor in an alley across from the school. Pietro closed it behind him and pushed a dumpster over it. The others had taken a different route underground. "That should be it for that." Pietro checked outside the alley. Once it was clear, he picked up his sister and dashed for another alley, then set her down again.

"Pietro, I'm curious... the others had managed to find something to waste their time on. What have you been doing all this time?"

"That's... uh..." Pietro looked out the alley, almost hoping SHIELD would show up. "I didn't really do anything."

"Nothing?"

"Well, I ran around. I broke stuff. I stole stuff. One side of the country to the next. I even dashed across both borders a few times to see if I could get away with it."

"That's it?" Wanda asked incredulously.

"Yeah... that's it," Pietro added sheepishly. "I wasted nearly five years of my life. Even that tool Evan figured I'd have done something with myself by now."

"Why didn't you?"

"Come on, Wanda, you know that. I didn't have the patience," Pietro admitted. "Everything took too much time and effort. It was just easier to steal anything I wanted. That's over, though. I was such a nuisance that SHIELD had to stop me. It's only a matter of time before those fascists find me again and lock me away for good." Pietro picked Wanda up again and ran to another alley, close to a docking area behind a set of stores. He motioned for her to lay low as a black helicopter flew overhead. "Did you talk to Magneto?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I did. I'm not so sure he's _not_ evil," Wanda said to him. "But... I don't know. There's something different about him."

"You're not thinking of forgiv-"

"No," Wanda said bluntly. "I'm not forgiving him. I never will. But..."

"We found them!" a SHIELD agent shouted, startling them both. Quickly, they were surrounded by several more. A SHIELD helicopter hovered close to the ground. "We have you outnumbered. Come quietly."

"Doesn't look like we have much of a choice," Pietro said to Wanda. She first raised her hands, but one of the soldiers used a weapon that cast a white light on them. Shielding her eyes with her hands, Wanda was stalled just long enough for the light to take effect, producing a tingling sensation in both twins. Pietro tried to run to Wanda and get her away, but suddenly he was moving at an alarmingly slow rate. In no time, SHIELD soldiers overtook him and handcuffed him, placing shackles on his ankles to keep him from running. Wanda threw her hands at them, but aside from a few small sparks, she couldn't conjure a single spell. The soldiers soon seized her and also tied her hands behind her back, placing them inside a tight box to prevent her fingers from moving around. Once they were secure, they were loaded into the helicopter. The soldier with the light turned his device off and joined the other soldiers.

"Yo," Toad said sarcastically with a metallic echo from the metal muzzle placed over his mouth. He was shackled like Pietro and seated next to Fred, whose handcuffs were larger than the others, fitted the electrical probes that sank into his fatty skin but didn't pierce it, and if pulled too far from each other, the handcuffs were designed to emit a powerful electric charge. Lance had basic handcuffs and a silver bowl-shaped helmet over his head with two holes cut out for his eyes.

"What happened?" Pietro asked. "They got all of us?"

"No running from SHIELD," Fred sighed. Pietro sat down across from Lance and stared at his helmet.

"What is it with you and that dorky bowl fetish?"

"Fuck you. Keeps my powers in check."

"Denti to Commander Bishop," Denti said into his radio. "We have the mutants. We're bringing them in."

-------------------------------

Lucas angrily threw down the makeshift Cerebro helmet and stood up, slamming his hands against the console. Black Tom and Juggernaut stood behind him, waiting to see if he'd found what he was looking for. Clearly, he hadn't.

"There's no sign of her anywhere," Lucas fumed. "No sign of her, or her brother, or his twit friends, or Magneto!"

"Maybe you're not as powerful as you thought," Juggernaut said derisively.

"Quiet, you. I'm powerful enough. It's this machine. It's incomplete. It's not working the way it should be." Lucas walked away from the console, past his two partners, and back into their makeshift war room. "It's falling apart. It's all falling apart. Wanda's gone, these SHIELD people are onto us, this worthless machine can't even do its sole job- and don't think for a minute that I won't rip your throat out if you say 'I told you so,' Tom!"

"I still think this is a waste of time," Juggernaut told him. "We don't need the machine or the witch."

"I know your solution to \everything, Uncle Cain," Lucas groaned. "But our team isn't complete. Right now it's just you, me, Tom, and his two thugs. All of Tom's lesser minions would be useless to us, the flatscans. We lost Wanda, and we lost Pyro. Xavier has eight X-Men. Leaving Xavier and Magneto aside, that means I need eight on my own team. Right now, I have four. Four!" Lucas growled, bearing his teeth, his eyes practically bursting from their sockets. "It's not enough! I'll have my revenge. I'll have my revenge! Xavier will... will..." Lucas sputtered, and momentarily lost his footing. Clutching his head, he tried to stay on his feet, but feel to his knees. "Xavier will... no... don't do this... he's your father... he's my father... don't..." Lucas slammed his fist against the floor. "I have to! I have to! You'll thank me when I've done it, you'll all thank me! I..."

"I can't..." Lucas's voice had suddenly changed into that of a young American man. "I can't let you... I won't!"

"Shut up," Lucas responded. "Shut up! SHUT UP!" Lucas was silent for a moment, except for his heavy breathing as he clutched his head. He opened one eye, and then the other, and then stood up, exhaling. "That shut you up."

"I think you're overstressed, Lucas," Black Tom suggested.

"No, I'm feeling a little better now," Lucas said calmly.

"Regardless, Wanda was right," Black Tom told him. "I've had enough of your obsession," he said, pointing to Lucas with his cane. "We've had numerous opportunities to simply seize our goals. Even Cain has come up with a more sound plan than yours. I have spent too much time and resources on your little games, and you have yet to deliver the results you promised. I'm going no further until you show me that you haven't let this misguided symmetry go to your head." Lucas's response was to throw Black Tom across the room. Juggernaut stepped forward, but he, too was thrown aside.

"You're right. You're absolutely right," Lucas said. "I realize now that I don't need you, Wanda, or Cerebro. I need..." Lucas didn't finish. He surrounded himself with light and vanished.

"That was a giant waste of time," Juggernaut said.

"Maybe I can sell off some of these Cerebro parts," Black Tom suggested. Though not especially fond of Juggernaut, Black Tom wasn't one to waste an opportunity. "I'll split the profits with you if you help take it apart."

"Not a problem," Juggernaut grinned.

-------------------------------

The Brotherhood was taken to a secure SHIELD base, though they had been riding in a windowless cell of a helijet and had no idea where it was, only that they had been traveling for less than half an hour. The helijet touched down and the SHIELD captain opened the cell, motioning for them to follow him. They exited into a large hangar, easily four times the size of the smaller one where they had met with Bishop, filled with several more helijets and ground crews servicing them. SHIELD guards walked along catwalks above them, meeting with technicians and other agents. Toad seemed especially interested in the aircraft gathered at the hangar, but he had no time to admire any of it as their captors took them past a secure corridor and into a large cell.

"We'll give you your accommodations once Commander Bishop arrives," Denti said to them, carrying his mask and helmet with him. Despite his rank, Denti wasn't much older than the group, his brown hair cut short to military standards.

"So..." Toad said, "What kinda trainin' you need to fly those planes out there?"

"I'm not an encyclopedia. If we want you to know something, we'll tell you. Right now, keep quiet." And so, they waited in silence for several minutes. At last, Bishop arrived, flanked by two armed guards, as always.

"You're something, you know that?" Bishop said. "You're really something. We offer you one pardon and three fat paychecks, and you throw it away. Tell me, Quicksilver, was it worth it?" Pietro gave no response, and avoided looking Bishop in the eye.

"What are you going to do with us?" Lance asked defiantly.

"When SHIELD captures you, you lose all rights as human beings," Bishop said bluntly. "The FBI will give you your rights. Even the CIA will give you some rights. But not SHIELD. We don't have to tell you what we're going to do with you, when we're going to do it, or even why. Under normal circumstances, that would be the case... but you've given us an opportunity. Colonel Fury himself has ordered that you be given a choice."

"What kind of choice?" Fred asked.

"Your first choice is what I described to you- we do what we want with you. Chances are, we'll have you locked up without any rights until we think it's time to let you out. If we ever come to that decision. All five of you are mutants. Three of you meet the minimum standards to be placed at Stokes Maximum." Bishop referred to Stokes County Maximum Security Facility, which had come to house dangerous mutants such as Juggernaut and Omega Red, and now operated under SHIELD jurisdiction. "I don't need to tell you what conditions are like there."

"Then what's our second option?" Pietro asked.

"We'll let you go, if you bring down a specific target for us."

"Lucas," Wanda guessed.

"You got it," Bishop told her. "Those are your options. Take down Lucas and walk away, or rot in a cell."

Without waiting for the rest of them, Wanda replied, "We'll do it." The others looked at her in surprise, but if Wanda was willing to fight Lucas, there was no reason for any of them to hold back.

"Wise choice," Bishop announced. "Take them." The armed guards escorted the Brotherhood out of the cell. They went without resistance, but Lance wore a permanent scowl.

-------------------------------

"As you all know," Professor Xavier began, addressing his staff members, including Cyclops, Storm, Jean, Nightcrawler, Iceman, Colossus, Rogue and Shadowcat, "The Brotherhood was briefly housed here, after escaping from SHIELD. Though I disagreed with their staying, Magnus persuaded me with the caveat that he would claim sole responsibility. Within hours, SHIELD was here. Magneto decided to attack them to give the Brotherhood time to escape, and as a result, is now in SHIELD custody himself. We've had no word of his status since then, but given the situation, we must consider the possibility that Magneto might not return to the school."

"At least somethin' good came from all this," Rogue muttered.

"Regardless of your personal opinions of him, this leaves a vacuum in our staff. For the time being, I am putting Scott in charge of the X-Men. Ororo remains in charge of the school. Kurt and Kitty, I am promoting you both to the senior staff."

"Alright!" Nightcrawler said, exchanging a high-five with Kitty.

"Keep in mind, you will have additional responsibilities. But, there's more. Until the matter is cleared up, I am putting the Institute on heightened security. That means imposing a curfew on the students and restricting their activities for the time being."

"Professor, don't you think that's a little harsh?" Cyclops asked. "Why are we punishing the students for Magneto's actions?"

"I wouldn't have considered this, if one of our own students hadn't put her life in danger to help Magneto," Xavier responded. "We can't be sure that SHIELD won't come back to us if they don't find the Brotherhood, and I think our mutual respect will only go so far. If there are no further questions, you are all dismissed." Storm, Cyclops and Jean remained with the Professor, while Kitty, Nightcrawler and Rogue left for the hall.

"I knew we never should've let him join," Rogue said to them. "He's been nothin' but a bad luck charm."

"I have to agree," Nightcrawler added. "But, he's gone. I think we should be counting our blessings."

"He was kinda creepy," Kitty joined in, "But he did his job well. I mean, I'm not sticking up for him or anything, but he wasn't all that bad."

"There she goes again," Rogue said, rolling her eyes. "Always going for the bad boys."

"Hey, I just said I wasn't sticking up for him. I'm just saying, we've had worse people here. Remember when Gambit was here?"

"Don't remind me!" Rogue shouted, crossing her arms. With her point made, Kitty felt no need to elaborate on the details.

-------------------------------

Jason Wyngarde, the criminal called Mastermind, stood in his own apartment in New York, hours before sunrise, over the body of David Haller, a young blond man lying in his chair. Mastermind had no job; however, he made a meager living by using his illusionary powers to his own advantage, conning his way through life. He would've used his powers to live more comfortably, but there was only so much he could do without drawing the attention of the X-Men, the police, or SHIELD. In order to keep a low profile, he kept a low-priced apartment, though he was secretly funneling stolen money into a false bank account, small amounts at a time (depending on one's definition of "small").

And of course, from time to time, he rented out his services to those who needed them.

"This is taking too long," the voice of Lucas said to him.

"Please be patient," Mastermind told him. "There is much to sort through... I see you." Mastermind waved his hands over David's head, his eyes glowing a pale blue. After several minutes, his eyes returned to normal. David sat up, rubbing his head. Mastermind snapped his fingers and David's entire body shifted into the tall, handsome figure of Lucas. He checked his surroundings and took a deep breath.

"Hrm? Ah? That's much better." Lucas adjusted his sleeves. "Agh. Thank you so much. I had started to... relapse. I was almost afraid I wouldn't be able to do this without Xavier." Though nowhere near as powerful as Charles Xavier, Mastermind was able to seal the partially emerging David back into Lucas's inner core. Had David fully emerged, Mastermind would've been nearly useless- in which case, only someone of Xavier's power would've been able to seal him again.

"It's a shame you can't do it yourself," Mastermind said, taking a moment to cough. He couldn't go too long without his cough getting in the way, a permanent reminder of the day the Scarlet Witch injured him in retribution for his actions against her. "There's some cause for concern. I think that David may be getting stronger."

"I know. I can still feel him," Lucas said. "I need to finish my affairs quickly. I can't risk being locked away permanently."

"Now, there's the matter of my payment," Mastermind said, holding out his hand.

"Ah, but my payment will not be material," Lucas told him with a smile. "Your payment will be the satisfaction of knowing that Charles Xavier has been killed."

"As much as I loathe him, I can't do much with his death certificate," Mastermind insisted, coughing again. Lucas sneered and took a wad of bills from his pocket. Mastermind's scowl quickly became a smile, and he happily put the money in his coat. "Since you are going against Xavier, I have something you might find useful." Mastermind opened a hall closet and took out a brown, unlabeled, sealed box. He opened it with a pocketknife and held out the prize: a helmet shaped like Magneto's, made of rough brown iron. It was missing the highlights and the crest, instead simply being cut out into the basic helmet's shape.

"I think I'd look better without it," Lucas smirked.

"It was crafted by Magneto," Mastermind explained. "He had made it for Gambit, so that he could break into the Xavier Institute, for whatever reason... but before he could make use of it, Apocalypse drew Magneto's attention, and this little artifact went forgotten. I held on to it, in case it might be useful."

"So it's one of his special helmets," Lucas realized, looking at the helmet's blank, empty face. "A kingly gift for an ill-made knight. I may have to modify it a little so it matches my outfit, but it's appreciated all the same. Thank you, Mastermind." Lucas left the apartment through the window, holding the helmet at his side, and drifted up into the sky. Once he was gone, Mastermind took the wad of bills, smiling greedily as he started to count them, only to have them vanish. Mastermind wasn't the only one capable of creating illusions.

More disappointed than angry, Mastermind slumped onto his couch, coughing again and taking a bottle of scotch that had been sitting on the table nearby.

-------------------------------

John Allerdyce sat in a steel chair with his hands chained behind him, in a darkened room where the only light was cast solely on him. He had seen this sort of thing on television before and was both excited and nervous about it. He wore an orange prison uniform, and his blue eyes looked into the darkness to see if they could find something- anything.

"Uh... so... when does the fun begin here, exactly?" Pyro asked, still glancing around.

"We're not playing games here, Allerdyce," Nick Fury said, stepping into the light. Colonel Nick Fury was likely the most famous member of SHIELD- a strange honor for a secretive organization. Tough, gray-haired, and decorated with an eyepatch, his face alone told prisoners that he meant business. Though not in full command of SHIELD, Fury wielded considerable power within the organization, third highest on the command structure, beneath his superiors on SHIELD's commanding council, and to the Director himself. He tossed aside the toothpick he constantly chewed.

"I prefer Pyro, if it's all the same."

"Well, 'Pyro,'" Fury addressed him with a mocking tone, "You've spent quite some time among the inner circles of both Magneto and Lucas, haven't you?"

"You could say that, yes, but... well, I wouldn't exactly call it the inner circle... they're not very open guys, you see..."

"Regardless, you know a lot about their organizations. They way they think."

"That, I do. Ah... you're not going to pry more information out of me, are you?"

"Bishop has already collected anything useful. I'm here for another reason. SHIELD has need of your services."

"And what if I refuse?" Pyro asked suspiciously.

"Have it your way." Fury snapped his fingers and a guard stepped into the light with an high-tech cattle prod of some kind, generating sparks at its tip.

"Ah... tell you what, I'll... uh, I'll take your proposal into consideration," Pyro offered, completely nervous. "Is that copasetic?"

"That's fine. Here's what we need..."

-------------------------------

"You wanted to see me?" Bishop asked, entering the command center at his base, where Nick Fury himself and several other high-ranking SHIELD agents waited. Fury put a fresh toothpick in his mouth and looked at Bishop with his remaining eye. The room was filled with monitors displaying events around the world, tended to by a number of SHIELD technicians.

"Bishop, we have a situation on our hands." The image on the wall-screen depicted Lucas, levitating an undercover SHIELD agent, disguised as a postal worker. "We have a mutant terrorist we need dealt with, and he's come to us this time. Is your new strike force ready?"

"No, but that's never stopped us before."

"Have them ready. He's in transit, and I think I know where he's headed. Stokes Maximum."

"What about Magneto?" Bishop asked.

"He's under control," Fury replied. "We're keeping Magneto in a holding cell at Claremont Base until we can clear some space at Stokes. He'll need a whole section to himself, but the extra cost will be worth it to keep the project safe." Fury slid a file labeled 'POLARIS' into a briefcase.

"I still don't think the team's ready." Bishop asked. "They haven't been properly oriented yet. Can you get Xavier to handle it this time?"

"I've already called Xavier," Fury said. "We can't afford to take any risks on this, we'll need all he help we can get."

-------------------------------

"Listen up," Bishop said to the assembled Brotherhood members in one of the smaller hangars, each now dressed in form-fitting black uniforms with white boots, gloves, belts and chest straps. Somehow, they'd even managed to provide one in the Blob's size. They also wore metal restraint collars, experimental technology designed to neutralize their powers and immobilize them in case they tried going maverick again. The members stood in line, but slouched and rather grouchy looking. "What the hell is wrong with you? I said LISTEN UP!"

The group quickly snapped to attention.

"That's more like it. I hope you're ready to do your duty, because we've tracked Lucas, and we're sending you out immediately."

"Bring it on, we're ready," Lance bragged.

"That's not all," Bishop continued. "We've decided to add another member to your team." Bishop motioned and a door opened, revealing Pyro in a matching SHIELD uniform, along with his flamethrower tank.

"No way!" Fred yelled. "It's bad enough you make us wear spandex, you want us to work with this klutz now?" Wanda looked straight at the ground in disgust and Lance stared at Pyro with the same confusion as if a child were being added to the team. The only member of the team who wasn't somehow showing their disappointment with the idea was Pietro.

"Afraid I'll outshine you, Dukes?" Pyro teased. "With me, you've got an edge."

"With you, we've got a failure on our hands," Lance told him. "C'mon, Commander, do we really need him?"

"Executive order, nothing I can do about it," Bishop explained. "I don't like this either, but I'm sucking it in. You ladies better learn to like Pyro. Let's go, quit standing around!" Bridge led the team to their heli-jet. Pyro walked closely behind him with the rest lagging several feet. This time, armed guards were accompanying them.

"C'mon, he's not that bad," Pietro said to his teammates. "He's a little weird, yeah, but so is Toad."

"Toad's not a sadist," Lance remarked. "And if Toad starts acting up, any one of us can just slap him and get him to cut it out."

"Thanks, Lance, really," Todd muttered.

"With this idiot, we've gotta bring insulated gloves and hope he doesn't make a fire unicorn or some other gay bullshit like that."

"Whining about it isn't going to change anything," Pietro told him. "Like Commander Bishop said, we just have to suck it in."

"Suck up," Lance grunted.

-------------------------------

Inside the helijet, the Brotherhood remained silent. Two pilots at the front would occasionally talk to each other, discussing their flight pattern and reporting back to base. In the passenger hold, two armed and masked SHIELD guards rode with the team to ensure their cooperation. Occasionally, the team would hear snippets of the situation at Stokes Maximum... SHIELD guards trying to maintain order, though clearly panicking. They heard mention of the X-Men, but they also heard loud explosions. The Brotherhood felt it best to ignore what they heard for the time being.

"Guys, look," Pietro said, drawing the team's attention. "I screwed up. I know that. I shouldn't have talked you guys into this. For what it's worth... I'm sorry."

"Pietro just apologized," Fred mentioned idly to Lance. "So, what's that thing people keep saying about snowballs? Oh yeah-"

"I mean it," Pietro sputtered. "I just wanted you guys to know that. In case anything goes wrong."

"A little late for apologies," Lance told him. "We're stuck doing work for SHIELD and now we're not getting out of it until we bring down a maniac whose power rivals Xavier's. There's ten ways this can end and none of them are good."

"Well, okay," Pietro replied, "But we can still do this. We've faced worse. We just have to stick together as a team."

"Lucas isn't going to go easy on you this time," Wanda warned. "If the X-Men are already fighting him, he won't be in a good mood."

"So... are you cool with having to fight him?" Toad asked. "Because... I mean, I heard you two were-"

"Just leave me alone," Wanda said, turning away from him. It was a question she didn't want to answer. With only a few minutes left until they were due to arrive in Stokes County, Wanda wasn't sure she even knew the answer. But as she turned away, lost in thought, the Lance and Pietro seemed focused on the moment.

"Alright, fearless leader," Lance said, humoring Pietro, "What's your plan?"

"I... don't have one," Pietro shrugged. Watching Lance palm his face, Pietro quickly said, "...I would, if I knew more about Lucas. I think... maybe Wanda has something to contribute."

"I don't," she said.

"Great, so you spent five years with him and you have no idea how to fight him," Lance groaned.

"Just shut up," she muttered. Toad, seated next to her, wanted to put his arm around the clearly troubled Wanda. But he knew better. However, he did put a hand on her shoulder. She didn't turn to look at him, and Toad could feel that she didn't entirely want that hand there, but she didn't shrug him off.

"I've got a plan," Pyro announced. "We go out there and kick his ass!"

"Some plan," Fred chuckled.

"I was just trying to raise morale," Pyro defended. "Since you're all being a bunch of mopey gits. What's wrong with all of you, never killed a man before? Bunch of babies. I should probably do the job mys-"

"Shut up!" Wanda screamed, sending a hex blast his way. It was a warning shot and landed several inches from his head, but the metal of the helijet began to bubble and melt slightly at the point of impact. She made her point, though Pyro gave her a fierce, if reluctantly conceding look. The two guards immediately pointed their rifles at her. Wanda was almost prepared to strike at them, but Toad once again put his hand on her shoulder.

"Ain't worth it," he whispered to her. This time she did push his hand off, though she heeded his words. Once they saw that the team had calmed down, the guards stepped away.

"We'll be arriving in Stokes County shortly," the pilot announced over the intercom system.

**So, I managed to sneak in another character. Don't dwell too much on Lieutenant Denti.**

**Next chapter... cameos abound.**


	13. Act 3: The Brotherhood Five

**Alright, time to wrap this up. Hope you've enjoyed it!**

**Act 3, Chapter 4 (12)- The Brotherhood Five**

"Fall back! Fall back!" Cyclops commanded before being blasted by Lucas's telekinesis. Colossus caught him and set him back down. "We need to get that helmet off!"

Lucas hovered over the grass inside the grounds of Stokes County Maximum Security Prison only an hour after sunset, wearing his special helmet, painted white with black lines around it. The prison's main building was only a few yards from Lucas, who had no trouble entering the perimeter wall from the air. Despite this, the SHIELD-trained guards detected him before his arrival and prepared themselves- not that it made any difference, as Lucas quickly took out the first guards that tried to stop him. A squad had been sent in with special power inhibitor weapons, but their reflexes were unfortunately slower than Lucas's, as evidenced by their bodies lying on the grass.

Lucas did little damage initially, and sought mostly to defend himself against the prison's forces. The wardens didn't question why Lucas didn't take any directly offensive actions, or why he seemed content to just wait for the guards to come to him. They contacted SHIELD, who agreed to send reinforcements, but they also called in the X-Men, who would arrived sooner.

If they had stopped to question Lucas's actions, they might have realized that was exactly what he wanted.

Searchlights kept Lucas in view, and every so often SHIELD guards would aim their rifles at him, though they never succeeded in doing anything but drawing attention to themselves, and subsequently becoming Lucas's victims. The X-Jet, as well as a variant of the Velocity, rested nearby within the perimeter wall, and Rogue carried an unconscious Nightcrawler towards it while Beast chipped away at an ice block containing Storm.

"I said it was an accident!" Iceman pleaded.

Professor Xavier remained in the Blackbird (or X-Jet, depending on who you asked), clutching his hands together anxiously. Outside, Jean Grey was the only one who seemed to be able to even stand against Lucas, flying around him and dodging his telekinetic blasts as quickly as he dodged hers. Several unconscious or dead prison guards lay on the ground, along with a few unconscious members of the X-Men's west coast team, the New Mutants. At the prison itself, cracks were visible in spots where Lucas was about to tear open the outer wall. Fortunately, the X-Men had stopped him in time.

Shadowcat phased through the ice block and freed Storm, only to have the ice, now hollow and lacking support, fall over and bonk Storm on the head. Beast sighed and scratched his head.

Jean put her hands out and held on to Lucas long enough for Cyclops to blast him out of the sky. Rogue flew up behind Lucas and prepared to slam him back to the ground, but he took control and threw her off, stopping his descent.

"What is it that you're trying to accomplish here?" Jean asked. "What are you trying to prove?"

"That I'm better than you!" Lucas shouted. "I could kill all of you right now if I wanted, but that's the easy way. I don't just want you to die, I want you to die knowing there was nothing you could do to stop me! All of your training, all of your power, all of it in vain!"

"Lucas, leave them out of this!" Xavier called. "It's me you want! Please, stop this rampage, the people you're hurting are all innocent!"

"They stopped being innocent the moment you took them in," Lucas yelled. "They're guilty of taking what didn't belong to them!"

"We're running out of team members," Beast told Cyclops. "Did you tell Jean to get his helmet off?"

"She's trying, Beast, it's not as easy as it looks!"

"Well let me get in there," Sunspot yelled, running on reserve solar energy. He kicked off the grass and flew straight up at Lucas, who grinned and snapped his fingers. Sunspot fell back as if punched down by a stronger force, and Colossus rushed over and picked him up so that he could join the other downed X-Men at the Blackbird. Or X-Jet.

Jean flew around Lucas, resisting his telekinetic attacks and blasting him with her own, trying to pry his helmet off, but he used his power to keep it planted firmly on his head. She wondered how it was that Lucas could still use his power through the helmet- if it prevented others from reaching his head, logically, it should also hold his own powers back.

"That would be the case, wouldn't it?" Lucas answered, startling her. "Maybe this would keep your powers damp, but I'm a little too strong to be contained. Something wrong, Jeanie? Trying to get in here? Well why can't you? Hasn't the Professor taught you well enough?" Lucas raised his telekinetic shield to deflect an optic blast. "No? Well that's a pity! Seems to me that he wasted his time on such a pathetic pupil."

Finally, the tide of battle turned when Rogue managed to fly back up to Lucas and kick him in the back, knocking him forward and throwing his helmet off. Immediately, Jean and Xavier closed their eyes. Lucas grabbed his forehead, feeling as if his head were being crushed from all sides, but he still managed to reach for his helmet. Even under attack, Lucas's powers were still formidable- he tossed Rogue aside as she flew towards the helmet, and weakly deflected a blast from Cyclops. Beast rushed out to the field to try and grab the helmet, but he missed it by mere inches as it flew up into Lucas's hands. Quickly, he slipped it back on and the pressure was quickly relieved.

"A nice try, but it won't happen again," Lucas warned. "Have any of you wondered why I've chosen this fine place for our little soiree? I think it's time for the main event!" Blocking another optic blast, Lucas flew towards the prison wall, hovering next to it. With both hands, he telegraphed his actions as he seized the wall. Ten large craters appeared in the concrete, as if two giant hands had dug their fingers into it, and then tore a large section of the wall away. The pieces of the wall shattered in Lucas's telekinetic grip, revealing their thick metal inner lining, as well as the various wires and pipes that ran inside the walls. Lucas flung the loose debris as the prison block's security functions began to fail, now that a piece of the system had been pulled out.

The exposed cell revealed a man with pitch-black skin and a shock of blue hair growing upwards from the very top of his head, wearing a straitjacket, and held in place by several chains.

"Hello, my friend. I trust you're ready to get out of here?" Lucas said as he approached him. The mutant Abyss nodded. "I'll tell you what. I'll get you out of there if you agree to raise some hell on your way out."

"Whatever you say," Abyss replied, bearing his sharp teeth. Lucas waved his hands and broke the chains. Abyss did the rest- he pulled apart his own straight jacket. Flexing his chest outward, he exhaled, and the jacket vanished entirely. He revealed a gaping hole in his chest, tugging at Lucas like a vacuum cleaner, and he stretched out his arms to the length of the room- uncoiling them unnaturally, showing them to be hollow beneath this skin, with each arm also leading into the void inside.

"Find some friends," Lucas instructed him. "I'll be outside dealing with a few pests." Abyss's arms grabbed the walls on either side of him, crumbling them under the sheer force of his power as he pulled the walls towards him. Large chunks began to break off, snapping wires and disrupting the electrical systems inside the walls- including the power dampers. Guards were arriving to see what had happened, but they were also sucked into the void in Abyss's body.

And in only a few moments, all hell broke loose.

Omega Red's freed tendrils tore apart the wall of his cell. A Japanese man with a black ponytail took a loose pipe and charged it with energy, using it to cut apart the rest of the walls, despite the seeming bluntness of his weapon. One man in a white prison uniform summoned various duplicates of himself, all of them wearing black uniforms, for some reason. As other prisoners began to riot and escape, one young man with glasses huddled in the corner of what was left of his cell. He grabbed his head in agony, and moments later, found himself transformed into a flying reptile. By now, most of the prisoners were simply focused on escaping, rather than finding out who had helped free them or what he wanted in return.

"Run! Run to freedom, boys!" Lucas shouted. The remaining X-Men had to shift their focus away from Lucas, and guards from other sections of the prison were forced into action. Several Multiples tried to act as crowd control, but the other duplicating mutant was making himself useful and battling the various Madroxes. Berzerker fired his electric blast at the prisoners, but Abyss just swallowed it. Various beam weapons, fireballs and organic projectiles were fired from the frenzy as various mutant prisoners fought through the defense in their desperate attempt to reach freedom.

"I don't think we're going to get through this one," Shadowcat told Cyclops.

"Actually, I was just waiting for breakfast," a hairless prisoner with a heavily scarred face told Shadowcat. "You know how they sell it to you with words like 'continental breakfast,' but all you get is a stale bagel and a glass of orange juice? That's what I was hoping for, but I got Cheerios. I fucking hate Cheerios. I wouldn't have complained at all if it was Lucky Charms, though."

"What?" Kitty asked, dumbfounded.

"You don't like Lucky Charms? Well fuck you!" the man kicked her in the shin, then ran off, making a Three Stooges-esque whooping sound. Colossus jumped in his path, and trying to stop him by any means, punched him in the jaw with a loud snap. Colossus gasped, realizing he'd overdone it- the man's head had been turned 180 degrees. However, after just a few moments, the man stood back up, snapped his head back into position, and continued fleeing. "So, you're made of metal, huh? That's gotta suck. I mean, do you use motor oil to jack off? I can't imagine a worse-"

"You talk too much!" The duplicate-creating prisoner shouted to him. "My guys will give us cover, don't blow it!" Several of the duplicates began to climb a guard tower, quickly taking out the posted agents and taking their weapons, turning them against other SHIELD guards. The flying reptile soared overhead, roaring and causing some of the tower guards to instinctively duck. Cyclops began firing at it, but it flew too quickly.

Lucas flew to the front gate and quickly tore it open, allowed several of the prisoners to escape. Twenty-two prisoners had managed to get out of the gate before a secondary iron wall was activated, taking the original gate's place.

"All of our offense is down," Shadowcat said to Cyclops. "If Jean gets knocked out, we are so losing this fight!" She phased through a chunk of concrete skidding along the ground. "If we still had Magneto..."

"This is a disaster," Cyclops admitted. He fired at one of the many prisoners who had no superpowers and knocked him out. Guards with inhibitor guns were arriving to help out. Professor X was also reluctantly helping, safely subduing prisoners by telepathically rendering them unconscious. But with so many minds at work, all excited and scattered in their thoughts, even he couldn't deal with all of them. Suddenly, a prison guard next to him knocked him with the butt of his rifle and kicked his wheelchair over. As if to gloat to the surprised Cyclops, the guard reverted to her true form: Mystique. She had also planned ahead: she took a detonator from her hip pouch and activated it. All of the inhibitor weapons, previously sabotaged, exploded.

"You! What are you doing here?!"

"Escaping," Mystique said, becoming a raven and taking flight. Cyclops tried to blast her out of the sky, but his aim was thrown off by a flying pipe to the shoulder.

"Agh! Shadowcat, see to the Professor." Kitty nodded and ran to Xavier.

"Oh no, you don't," Lucas said, tensing his face. Shadowcat screamed and phased through the falling wheelchair, gently falling to the grass. Cyclops quickly fired an optic blast and hit Lucas in his moment of distraction. He drifted downward, but very quickly, he picked himself back up. Lucas's helmet slid upwards for a moment before he regained his concentration. Jean pushed him down to the ground, but he pushed back and propelled her to the sky. Once he was back in the air, he blocked her telekinesis once more and clenched his fist.

"That's enough of that." Lucas seized Jean with a tight grip and plucked her out of the sky, catapulting her to the ground, telegraphing his move with a fierce swing of his arm. Jean fell screaming until Cyclops caught her roughly, thrown down by the force of the impact. On his knees, he held Jean as she weakly looked up at him.

"Scott..." she moaned softly, before slipping out of consciousness.

"JEAN!" Scott yelled in Jean's face. It was fortunate she wasn't awake to be startled. Scott could only take solace in noting that most of the prisoners had been subdued or recaptured, the ones that hadn't already escaped, at any rate. But Lucas was still flying around, and Cyclops knew he had no reason not to break out every last prisoner just to overwhelm the X-Men. Yards away, Lucas set his sights on Professor Xavier, who lay on the ground, helpless. Grinning triumphantly, Lucas landed over him, standing with one leg on either side of the crippled Xavier.

"That's right, crawl," Lucas smirked as he stood over his fallen father. He waved his hand and threw the wheelchair even further. "Crawl like the worm you are! I want you to watch your X-Men defeated, and once they're all down where they belong, I'm coming for you, dear father!" Lucas knelt down and firmly gripped Xavier's chin. "Do you regret it now, old man? Do you wish you'd bothered to stay, to be there for your miserable, worthless son?"

"Every day," Xavier muttered weakly. Disgusted, Lucas pushed him away, turning his sights on the prison again. But then, he sensed something behind him. His eyes shifted back and he turned his entire body away from the prison.

"...Wanda..."

-------------------------------

Wanda stood out in the open field with Pietro and Fred, with a SHIELD helijet hovering above them. Lance and Toad jumped down after them, followed by Pyro, who once again had his flamethrower attached to his back and hands. Lucas flew to them and descended to the ground, approaching them like a king inspecting the common rabble.

"That outfit flatters you Wanda, truly," Lucas remarked, admiring the skin-tight outfit that she (and unfortunately, the others) were wearing. "Oh, and you've brought Pyro with you. To what do I owe this special honor?"

"Lucas, you need to stop this," Wanda said.

"Stop this? This is all I've ever wanted!" Lucas announced. "The X-Men are all but defeated, and once I've made sure that Xavier has watched all of them fall, I'll go after him. I'm glad you came by, love, you can watch me finish them off! This is what we've dreamed of, Wanda! This is my whole reason for being!"

"You've carried this on long enough," Wanda told him. "This obsession is needs to stop this now, before you go too far!"

"Too far?_ Too far?!_" Lucas laughed. "Wanda, dear, I haven't gone far enough yet!"

"You won't get the chance," Pietro said. "We're here to stop you."

"Stop me?" Lucas looked back to Wanda, his partner and lover. "Wanda, you're with them now? You're gone for a little bit, and you turn on me?! What's all this now? Why?"

"Because I realized that in the end, you're exactly like Magneto," Wanda finally admitted, both to Lucas and to herself. Lucas could only stare, taken aback by such a comparison.

"I am nothing like him! That man is a monster. I'm only doing what's right-"

"That's what Magneto thought, too." Wanda and Lucas looked into each others' eyes. Their understanding, their passion- or what had once passed for passion- was gone. Wanda only saw the madness of a spoiled child, and Lucas saw only another betrayal.

"If that's the way you want it," Lucas growled. He threw out his hands and hurled the entire team backwards- even Fred. Toad landed on his feet, and Pietro quickly rolled and got up on one knee.

"Pyro, go!" he commanded.

"Right!" Pyro rubbed his hands together before he launched a flame shark, which quickly dissolved with a wave of Lucas's fingers. Lance swiped his hand forward and let the ground rise up and smack Lucas in the back.

"That was uncalled for, Avalanche." Lucas pushed the dirt back and levitated upwards.

"You're not going anywhere!" Wanda yelled, surrounded by her own blue aura and projecting a hex wave at Lucas. His eyes widened and he held out both hands to fend it off. Though he struggled, Lucas dissipated the hex and knocked Wanda off her feet and onto her head with a telekinetic attack of his own.

"Hated to do that, lass, but I've got my own troubles." Lucas floated towards the prison, but something tugged at his leg. He looked down to see Toad dangling below him, clinging on with his tongue. "Oh? I forgot you were all here. Well, goodbye!" Lucas forced Toad's tongue loose, but fortunately, Todd's legs could withstand his long fall.

"Allerdyce, if you've got some secret info, now's a good time," Fred said to Pyro.

"Well... I've got nothing."

"Then get out of the way!" Fred yelled, pushing him aside. He jumped as high as he could, aided slightly by Lance's geological manipulation, and gripped Lucas's legs tightly, catching him by surprise and pulling him down with his weight and strength. "Here it comes!"

"Let go of me!" Lucas broke free of Fred's pull moments before he could be body slammed into the ground. Toad quickly hopped to avoid Fred's mass as it plunged into the grassy field. "Agh. Perhaps I shouldn't get so careless around you buffoons. Let me just deal with you..." Lucas lifted Toad to him. "Toad, is it? Fitting. We'll see how well you jump without your kneecaps!" Quickly, Toad spat a glob of sticky slime at Lucas's face, momentarily distracting him.

"Give this guy what's coming to him!" Pietro commanded again.

"Way ahead of you," Lance said, running up the hill... hill? Lance had created an upward slope that continued to rise until it collided with Lucas, who at the time was busy wiping slime from his face, and showered him with dirt and grass, pushing him back to the ground. Lance rode the avalanche downward as it buried Lucas, until the wave stopped. Pietro ran over to inspect the damage.

"Hmm. Not bad. Now let's just get Blob to sit on this and make sure he doesn't get up."

"Stand aside, mates." Pyro held his arms forward and torched the small hill. "Better be on the safe side, eh?"

"You really didn't need to do that," Pietro said.

"No, but it just looks so much better this way." The mound exploded, spraying burnt soil everywhere. Lucas rose with a distorted psychic shield around him. Without a word, he pulled Lance, Pietro and Pyro into the sky with him, twirling them around him to gain momentum and then hurling them all away from him in various directions. Pietro managed to right himself and hit the ground running to soften his fall. Pyro hit the prison wall but was protected by his tank and stood back up, dusting himself off, and Fred managed to catch Lance.

"Out of my way!" Lucas yelled, throwing both Fred and Lance away from him. Lance knocked his head against one of the concrete slabs that littered the field.

"Argh... wish I still had that stupid salad bowl," Lance whispered before losing consciousness.

"Don't you people ever die?!" Lucas took one of the broken gates and tore it in pieces, using them as projectiles. Toad hopped over one and caught another with his tongue and hurled it back, but naturally, that didn't work. Pietro ran around, sidestepping the projectiles. He bent down to the ground and took a small clump of dirt into his hand and with as much strength and speed as he could muster, he threw it at Lucas's face. "YOWCH! How in...?! Quite inventive. Here I thought you hung around these boys because they were like-minded. But don't let that go to your- ARRGH!"

"You talk too much, you know that?" Pietro sped around in circles, grabbing handfuls of dirt and flinging them at Lucas at high speeds. Lucas raised his shield after the third dirtball. A flame bat flew around him, but as Lucas soon learned, that was yet another distraction; Fred swung a giant steel beam at him and batted him to the ground. Pardon the pun.

"Argh, I've had enough of this... lass?" Wanda was on her feet again, her entire body now glowing with a blue aura, furious at Lucas. Lucas held out both hands, but Wanda's hex overpowered him, grounding him long enough for Toad to kick his shoulders and grab his helmet with his tongue. "No! How-?!" Fred picked him up, held him close, and then slammed him into the ground with his weight above him.

"Yeah! Body slam!"

"My turn!" Pyro rubbed his hands together.

"That won't be necessary," Professor Xavier said, holding his fingers to his temples, now seated in his chair. Cyclops and Beast watched from the open ramp of the Blackjet X-Bird. But Xavier's concentration was broken when his wheelchair suddenly tipped over, stranding him on the floor for the second time.

"No!" Wanda screamed, blue hex sparks flaring from her body. "Lucas is mine!"

"Wanda, no!" Xavier pleaded. "Lucas is only a part of my son! If you destroy Lucas, you'll kill David as well!"

"_I don't care!_" Wanda's hex wave intensified and Lucas writhed in agony, standing against her power, unable to do anything but scream. Fred took a step backwards and Toad hopped onto his shoulders, both watching in suspense. In his despair, Lucas held both arms upward, clutching his hands into fists. His blond mane stood on end and edges of his clothing began to tear. The studs on his bracelets separated from the leather bands and twirled around his wrists.

"Wanda, please!" Xavier pleaded.

"Aye, do what my dear father says!" Lucas yelled, half-mockingly, "This is no way to treat a lover! Or are we done with that? Am I too mad for you? What are you afraid of, Wanda? Are you afraid that you're like me? Afraid to come down to my level?"

_**CRACK.**_

From the ground, Professor Xavier watched the scene play out in slow motion and to his horror, the moment lasted an eternity to him. Pietro gasped when he heard the sound, followed by several more cracking noises, but Pyro had a wide, sadistic grin from ear to ear. Wanda released her hex wave and dropped to her knees, breathing heavily and feeling a great deal of tension fade away. All of her anger was replaced by relief, and fatigue.

Lucas dropped limply like a stack of body parts loosely glued together. He was whole, and alive, but every bone in his body had simultaneously snapped under the combination of Wanda's power, and Lucas's own telekinesis hexed against him. He struggled to breath with his ribcage shattered and looked up at Wanda with frightened eyes.

"It's over, Lucas. I don't care if we are the same. I never want to see you again."

Pietro helped Professor Xavier back into his chair. He rubbed his head and looked in both disgust and alarm at his broken son. "He's alive... but badly injured." With the mutant battle over, a second SHIELD helijet arrived, carrying Bishop and four agents. They had been waiting just out of range until the area was clear. Bishop jumped out, followed by his men, inspecting the damage.

"Bring out the life support." Two agents ran back to the helijet as Bishop approached the Brotherhood. "You cut it close. Good use of diversionary tactics. Now we take him into custody and let him answer our questions."

"I'd prefer it if you would turn him over to me," Professor Xavier insisted, his voice shaking. "He is my son, after all."

"Can't do that. Stokes Maximum has been SHIELD property for a few months now. He has to be taken in for questioning." Bishop noted the dejected, but accepting look on the Professor's face. "I'll talk to Colonel Fury. We might be able to work something out."

"Thank you." Professor Xavier watched as the SHIELD soldiers applied specialized splints to Lucas's body. Wanda watched with him, but she didn't seem as hopeful as he did. "Wanda... you could have killed him, but you didn't."

"I'm nothing like Lucas. I let him live, after all..." Wanda sighed. "...But I hope he's learned his lesson."

"You're a lot like your father, Wanda," Professor Xavier told her, with both admiration and great pity in his voice. Cyclops approached the group, rubbing the back of his head, still surprised and a little upset that the Brotherhood had succeeded where the X-Men had failed. He approached Lance, but noting that he was unconscious, he exhaled, glad that he didn't have to congratulate him specifically. Instead, he turned to Pietro and Wanda.

"Good job," he said sincerely. "It takes tough mutants to pull this off."

"Yeah, we are pretty good, aren't we?" Pietro bragged. "Who knows, maybe we'll end up replacing the X-Men as the big mutant team around here." Wanda rolled her eyes and walked away from the site, but Toad hopped after her.

"You feelin' okay?" he asked as he hopped alongside her.

"Just a little tired. Maybe it was cruel of me, but breaking Lucas just felt so good. After all, everything's his fault."

"Glad it ain't my fault for once. But hey, we beat him, right? That's what counts. Like Pietro said, we're becomin' bigshots now."

"I don't know, Toad. I don't think Lucas really took us seriously. I think the only reason he went down so easily was because I was just so angry at him. I don't know if I can do that again."

"Well I got faith in you. Ain't let us down yet, Scarlet Witch." Wanda had to allow herself a smile, and Toad relished it, having seldom seen it for himself. "You know..." Toad said, stopping. Wanda stopped along with him, turning back to him. "I know I've said it before, but... I'm really sorry, about all... that."

"You know, you've matured a lot," Wanda said. "You're really not a much of a slimeball as I thought you were." She gave him a half-smile, and walked away, leaving Toad to sit and admire her as she left.

"Witchy woman still drives me crazy," Toad said to himself.

-------------------------------

Lance opened his eyes but then quickly shut them; wherever he was, it was bright. His head was pounding, but he otherwise felt rested and comfortable. He felt something soft in his hand.

"Lance, you're awake!"

"Kitty?" Kitty Pryde sat at his side. He was at the Xavier Institute's infirmary, along with several of the X-Men. "Hey, Kitty. Couldn't stand not having me around huh?"

"Don't flatter yourself," Kitty giggled. "Scott told me what you guys did. I can't believe you got off so easy, while we have to tend to our injured. That is so not fair."

"Hey, we're just a better team." The last word stuck in Lance's head. "Wait, why am I here?"

"Well, you hit your head, and-"

"No, I mean at the Xavier Institute."

"Relax, Lance, I'm just kidding," Kitty chuckled. "The Professor called in a favor. He seems to have a lot of those. Commander Bishop wants you back this afternoon, though."

"Oh, great." Lanced guessed that SHIELD considered his debt paid off, if he wasn't back in their custody. He felt a great wave of relief, and didn't even realize how worried he'd been about it. "Might as well enjoy myself while I'm here then. So, when are you giving me my sponge bath?" Kitty phased Lance's pillow out from under his head and hit him with it. "Well, how about spoon-feeding me Jell-o?"

"You're not THAT badly injured," Kitty giggled. Such a sweet sound...

"Well, don't I get anything?"

"Just this." Kitty leaned onto him, putting her arms around his head and kissing him warmly. Lance rubbed the back of her head and held the small of her back, pulling her closer to him.

"LAAAANCE!" Kurt mocked from his bed.

"KITTYYYY!" Bobby responded. Kitty took the pillow and threw it in their general direction.

-------------------------------

"I have to say, I'm a little impressed," Nick Fury explained, sitting at the head of a table in a small conference room with Bishop on his right and Pietro on his left. Next to Bishop were Fred and Toad and next to Pietro sat Wanda, Lance and Pyro. Fury had several blank screens behind him. "It's not every day that we find a team that can fight a psychic like Lucas and still come out on top."

"Actually, Wa-" Toad stopped when Pietro kicked him under the table.

"You've fulfilled your end of our deal," Fury told them. They all started to slide their chairs back and stand up. "But..." They all froze. "That's not the end of it. Lucas managed to break out an entire cell block. Fortunately, the guards and the X-Men managed to stop most of them. Quite a few managed to get out of the gates, but the quick thinking of our agents brought them back in. Most of them."

Fury stood to give the group a clear view of the screens behind him. All nine screens displayed the mug shot of an escaped convict. Mystique and Omega Red were among them, though most were unfamiliar to the Brotherhood. "We have nine unaccounted for. We're sending you guys after them."

"Wait a minute," Lance protested. "You said we did our part. You're going to keep us here?!"

"The Director will give you the details." The screens all went white, and then were replaced by the single image of the Director of SHIELD, the details of his face hidden in shadow, though his glasses and moustache were slightly visible.

"Face front, true believers!" the Director said. The team all exchanged confused glances. "I have watch your progress for some time now. We pride ourselves on breeding the best agents, but sometimes, we need to outsource. As Colonel Fury explained, we'd like you to hunt down the fugitive nine. But... your continued cooperation would kill two birds. The city of Bayville has become a magnet for mutants in the last few years. Thanks to Professor Xavier's continued influence, Bayville has the largest openly mutant population in the country, and the highest crime rate among mutants. The police can't compete with such uncanny criminals. Right now, the only real peacekeeping team are the X-Men, and a few outlaw vigilantes. SHIELD needs to move in on that territory... without looking like SHIELD."

"What are you suggesting?" Pietro asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm proposing we make you guys an official public mutant team. A team of crime-fighting mutants, working to serve the community and uphold justice, just like the X-Men." The members of the Brotherhood exchanged glances; Lance wasn't too thrilled, though Pietro seemed keen on the idea. "Officially, you're privately funded. Off the record, you're agents of SHIELD. But I should warn you, what I'm proposing will not be an easy job."

"What do we get out of it?" Fred asked.

"Cleared records, full salaries and government-regulation benefits," the Director explained.

"You want to hire us full time?" Lance asked, surprised.

"Precisely!" the Director replied with enthusiasm.

"We'll give you your own space to live and train," Bishop further explained. "Something less cramped. We'll provide basic SHIELD training for you. Piloting, engineering, that sort of thing. If you don't like any of this and you kids just want to get back to being kids, everything stays on your records, but you're free to go."

"Alright!" Pyro yelled.

"Uh-uh, not you," Bishop said. "You've done some bad shit and your 'inside information' was completely useless to us. You're still our property."

"Give us a few minutes to discuss this," Pietro said. He waited patiently, but Fury, Bishop and the image of the Director remained. "Well?"

"Well what?" Bishop asked. "This isn't your room. If you want to talk, go outside and do it."

"So is this a great deal or what?" Pietro said to the others in the hallway outside. Fred was slumped against the wall and Lance leaned back with his arms crossed next to him. Wanda stood at the opposite wall with Todd clinging to it next to her. "Think about this, government pay and benefits, that's gotta include health insurance, life insurance, full dental..." He cast a sidelong glance at Toad, who didn't seem to catch his meaning.

"Yeah, but for what?" Lance asked. Lance liked what Fury proposed, but ever the cynic, wasn't so sure it was the right choice. If he walked out, he could just pick up where he left off... unsuccessful trying to find a way to pay for a college education. But what made this deal any different? "They don't pay well for easy jobs."

"I think we should do this," Fred said. As much as Fred liked his job as Unus the Untouchable's bodyguard, he had missed having his old buddies around. Though he'd never admit it, he felt comfortable and even a little safe whenever he was with the rest of his old gang. "I mean... if you guys want to. I mean, my old job isn't that hard... er..."

"Heh, all we gotta do is fight a few people every so often and we get paid for it," Toad said. His job was Magneto's right-hand lackey hadn't done much for his self-confidence. It was bad enough that he was... well, Toad, but having the added stigma of being a former terrorist's assistant meant just about every day at the Xavier Institute had a tinge of uneasiness. Plus, Magneto yelled at him a lot. "It's like livin' with Mystique, except we get big fancy allowances for it. Hell, Magneto and Summers never let me have any fun. C'mon, what's not to like about this setup?"

"There's something not right about this," Wanda worried. Between Lucas's defeat and the meeting with Fury, Wanda had put some thought into her future. There was one thing she still needed to do before she could get on with her life: she needed to confront Magneto and finally end her quest for revenge. "If you guys want to do it, that's your problem. But I have other things I need to do." Wanda began to walk away.

"Wait," Pietro said. "We can't do this without you."

"Yeah, you're one of us. We ain't goin' without you," Toad added. Wanda saw the eagerness their faces. Fred, Lance and Todd would be doing something they loved and Pietro would be happy with the money and benefits provided by a government organization.

But none of that was her problem.

"I'm not one of you," she said. "And I'm not going to be a part of this team." Without another word, Wanda left the hall.

"Aww... I thought she was gonna say 'yes' to us," Toad griped. "That ain't cool..."

"What's the big deal?" Lance asked, warming up to the idea. "It's been just four of us before. We don't need her to have a team."

"Hey, yeah," Fred remembered. "It was just us for a long time."

"But we never won before she came along," Toad noted.

"Wanda or not, this is too good a deal to pass up," Pietro said to the group. They all nodded. With the four of them in agreement, Pietro opened the door of the meeting room.

"Colonel Fury, Commander Bishop, Mr. Director" Pietro announced with his team behind him. "You've got a new team of mutants on your side."

"Excelsior!" the Director shouted.

"What?"

-------------------------------

Professor Xavier walked through a foggy meadow in the moonlight near a forest, on the opposite side of a cliff near the ocean. He marveled at how much he missed the ability to walk. He looked out at a meadow, watching various people congregate, some of them happy, some sad, several angry. At least one fight had broken out, but most of those gathered kept to themselves. This was especially true for David Haller, the only real person among the group. He was alone, sitting on a small bench near the edge of the woods.

"David!" he called. David looked up with a frown. "How are you, David?"

"I'm cold."

"Maybe we should start a fire, then." There was a long pause, and Xavier sat down next to his son. "David, do you blame me for what I did?"

"I guess I do."

"I'm sorry to hear that, David, but-"

"Listen, I'm tired right now. I've been going through a lot, thanks to Lucas. I don't feel like talking."

"To me?"

"To anyone. I just want to be alone right now." Lucas watched from the woods, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. He huffed in amusement as he watched David walk away from Xavier without a second glance.

"Visiting hours are over, Professor," a specter behind Xavier told him.

Lucas was stuck in a full body cast with several braces and rods attached to him as well as various tubes and wires leading to a sophisticated life support system dedicated to his cell, which had several pale red lightbulbs, that produced an inhibitor field around the cell. Professor Xavier sat across from him in a more conventional wheelchair, just out of range of the field, opening his eyes as the guard stood behind him, wearing a SHIELD logo on his shoulder.

"That's all the time they've given me for today," Professor Xavier said. "I'll be back tomorrow, David."

"Not David," Lucas muttered, unable to raise his voice.

"Despite what you may call yourself, you are still a part of David. And you are still my son." The guard pulled Professor Xavier out of the cell. "Goodnight, David."

"Yeah," Lucas whispered. Professor Xavier was escorted out of the cell, which was at the center of a massive, dense cylinder, separated from the rest of the base by a deep chasm. Lucas was alone in his tiny, cramped cell, but he didn't need room to move if he couldn't use it. His eyes slowly moved around, looking at his dull surroundings. "I don't suppose," he whispered to himself, or rather, his selves, "Any of you has a healing ability?"

As Professor Xavier wheeled down the corridor of Stokes Maximum, escorted by two guards, he passed Wanda, who moved through the prison in her civilian clothes with an armed escort, carrying a special red, yellow and white pass clipped to one of her shoulder straps.

"Hello, Wanda," he said. The guards stopped with him.

"Hi, Professor."

"Are you here to see Lucas?"

"No," Wanda said bluntly. "My father."

"I see. Give my regards," he said a little coldly. Professor Xavier had forgiven Wanda for her actions, though he wasn't on friendly terms with her. With nothing else to say, Professor Xavier went down the hall, followed closely by his escorts. Wanda entered a circular door, into a small prepping room, where two guards stood at a metal detector. The first guard scanned her with a handheld device. He nodded to her, and she moved underneath the large-frame metal detector, pausing while the second guard monitored the read-out.

"All clear," he said. "Go on through, Ms. Maximoff."

"Thank you." Wanda passed another door, leading to a long, clear bridge through a wide chamber, easily fifty feet down and above, and into a special plastic holding cell suspended over it with thick cables.

Erik Lehnsherr sat in a clear plastic booth, wearing a white uniform, and reading a borrowed copy of Machiavelli's "The Prince." The booth was suspended in a giant plastic chamber with several guard posts. Though Magneto was considered powerful enough to warrant an inhibitor field in his cell, none were added because he wasn't considered a serious threat (and they were rather expensive)- though he was told that the moment he showed any hostility, one would swiftly be installed. After passing through another metal detector, Wanda was allowed to enter the cell.

"Wanda," Erik lit up. He set his book down and stood up to greet his daughter. Wanda sat down in one of the plastic chairs, and Erik followed suit. "I was beginning to think you wouldn't come."

"I'm not here to visit," Wanda told him. "I'm here to end it."

Erik looked past the extending bridge, wondering if the guards were watching. They weren't. Surely, they would've taken any weapon she had brought... but then, he knew Wanda did not intend to use any man-made weapon against him. There was no way they could stop her from bringing her deadly hexing powers into the cell.

"Then finish it," Erik said sternly, hanging his head. Wanda raised her hands, her fingers outstretched. This was the perfect opportunity. This time, she wouldn't let him go. This time, there was nobody telling her what to do. This was her own decision, and at last, Wanda controlled her destiny.

But coming to that realization, she lowered her arms.

"Wanda?" Erik asked.

"I... I can't," Wanda said, rubbing her forehead. "I've wanted this for so long, but I can't do it. I'm not Lucas. I won't let you control my actions. I won't let you define who I am."

"Then you forgive me?" Erik asked hopefully.

"No," Wanda said bluntly. "I don't forgive you. I'll never forgive you for what you did. But I'm done living in the past. I'm in control of my life now, and I'm moving on with it."

"Then what do you intended to do now?"

"I'm sure you've heard about Pietro and the others," Wanda said in reference to their new jobs. They were filthy, ignorant clods with short tempers and loud mouths. And they'd lied to her. But right now, they were the only thing she had. She hadn't even realized that she missed their immature antics. God help her, she even missed Toad's stench.

Wanda came to an odd realization: since leaving Lucas, she'd never actually made up with the Brotherhood, and apparently, they hadn't noticed this either. With all that had happened, Wanda didn't even realize she'd become "one of the guys."

"I'm going to join the Brotherhood again," she announced. "At least until I can figure out where to go from here.

"You need to be careful around these... people," Erik told her. "I don't think I need to explain why. SHIELD's operations extend to all manner of things. Some of which would be illegal if they were a normal government agency."

"I know," Wanda said.

"It's just a precaution," Erik said. "By the way... Fury mentioned that something was at stake. I don't think he knew that I heard him. Has he mentioned anything peculiar?"

"Actually, Toad overheard him talking to Commander Bishop about something called Polaris. It sounds like some kind of superweapon. Maybe they thought you would be interested in it." Erik stopped for a moment when he realized what it meant.

"I can't imagine why they would think that," Erik quickly feigned, looking away and narrowing his eyes. 'They'd better pray this prison holds me,' he thought to himself. 'The day I escape will be Fury's last.'

"I should be going," Wanda said, turning rather abruptly. Erik reached out for her, but relented, and stayed behind. He wanted to say something to her as she left, but he wasn't sure what.

Wanda left her father in his plastic cell, and walked out of the prison without an escort. As she left the main building, where construction was already underway to repair the damage caused by Lucas, Wanda took what seemed like her first real breath of fresh air. She let the cool breeze brush against her; it was like she had never felt the sensation before. Even the sun, though hidden by a cloud cover, seemed radiant to her. She had left the asylum so many years ago, but it was only now that Wanda felt that she was truly free from her invisible cell.

-------------------------------

Commander Bishop waited in lobby of a more decorated SHIELD base, with the SHIELD insignia on the wall behind him. He nodded as ranking officers passed him with more decorated uniforms. He was soon joined by Nick Fury, exchanging salutes.

"First day on the job, and they're already late," Bishop commented.

"Keeping them in line is your job, Bishop. Now that they're on payroll, I expect them to fall in and shape up. There's no room for error here."

"We're here, we're here," Quicksilver announced. He wore a special new uniform, a form-fitting one-piece garment made of a glossy blue-green insulated material. A diagonal, lightning-shaped line from his left shoulder to his right hip divided the costume; his right was a light blue-green while his left was a darker color. The only part of his body that was exposed was his head, allowing his body to be more aerodynamic.

He was followed by Avalanche, wearing a dark blue costume with red striping. His muscular arms were exposed, but his forearms were covered by black gloves with his fingers bare, and on top of that, he wore special forearm guards with a two-piece elbow plate. He had simple gray shoulderpads and stylized shinguards that mimicked the design on his forearms, right down to the black sock beneath it and the two-piece kneepads. He wore a gray belt, the only piece of his old costume he retained, and in place of his old helmet, he wore a wide, clear visor over his face.

"So, you got that goggle thing so you'd look more like Summers or what?" Blob asked. Blob's costume was much simpler than his old uniform, and if it weren't for the fact that it was much larger, it could be mistaken as being taken from the original. Blob wore military style dark-gray pants with brown boots and a large, tannish-gray tank top. Or wifebeater, depending on who was describing it.

"Fuck you, I'm wearing this so I don't get dirt in my eyes. At least we don't look as stupid as Toad."

"I happen to like my new look, thank you," Toad replied. He had a basic green outfit with two black belts and thick, but flexible black boots. His off-white shoulderpads were large and angular, matching the bulky kneepads he wore, held on by black straps. His elbowpads were similar, though smaller, which only emphasized that his legs were more muscular than his arms. For whatever reason, his sleeve stopped at his mid-forearm. "Heh, Wanda said it makes me look handsome."

"No, I said it doesn't look as weird as your old one." The Scarlet Witch's basic outfit was the same one she had worn while working for Lucas. In case you've forgotten, it was a low-cut bodysuit made of tight-fitting red vinyl, with her trademark holes cut into it, decorated with black belts, two of which hugged the area beneath her breasts and raised them slightly. Long leggings, made of the same material as her outfit, reached up to her thighs, and covering her arms and shoulders, primarily, was a red coat, similar in design to her old on, though showing several tears along the bottom. A black choker bore an ankh and several plain, silver rings adorned her fingers. Her hair was tinted red from around ear-level down, giving her a slightly wilder look.

"Either way, glad you changed your mind, sis," Quicksilver told her, putting his arm around her.

Pyro then joined them, standing with his hands on his hips. While his uniform was made of the same insulated fabric as his old uniform, he'd traded it in for a darker reddish-orange motif here, including orange ribbing running up my legs and stopping mid-thigh, and running along his sleeves and inward to his chest, where a tall collar began. His boots dulled blue boots and gloves were the same, with added black straps. He also wore his old orange goggles, but without his form-fitting hood. On his back, he wore a new, more efficient tank, along with new, more streamlined flame emitters strapped to his wrists.

"What, isn't anyone going to compliment my new look?" he asked.

"Uh, ain't that the same thing you always wear?" Toad quipped.

"Yeah, well what about your backpack?" Blob asked. "Tell us about that thing!"

"Well, you see..." Pyro turned his head back to see his own tank, then turned his body in an attempt to get a better look. Before long he was spinning in place. "Uh... hang on just a sec here... won't be much longer... aahh..."

"Pyro, cut that out. Blob, don't encourage him," Bishop barked. "Listen up. Colonel Fury has a few words for you."

"I'm not big on formality, so I'll make this quick," Fury began, tossing aside a toothpick. "Welcome to SHIELD. Commander John Lucas Bishop will be your supervisor, but ultimately, you fall under my command, along with six other SHIELD divisions. Along with your salaries and insurance benefits, we'll provide living quarters and a training facility for you. In order to keep up appearances, we've... acquired a building in downtown Bayville that we are currently renovating, but until then, you will be housed at this base. You will attend regular training sessions, twice a day, three days a week. Pyro is still on probation and is forbidden to use his powers outside of missions. The rest of you are all clear. Once your tenure with SHIELD is over with, you can go back to living nice, normal, boring lives, free from your criminal records. You're free to come and go, but you are to respond immediately to any calls made by SHIELD."

"Do we get phone calls?" Avalanche asked.

"You're not prisoners anymore, of course you get phone calls. Once in your quarters, you're essentially free to do what you want, just remember that if either Commander Bishop or myself issue a command, you follow it without question. Any SHIELD business is confidential, so if you plan to discuss anything with your friends or family, you come to me so I can clear what parts of your story need to stay inside SHIELD walls. Keep in mind that SHIELD is above civilian law, so we have the authority to do whatever we have to in order to keep our secrets safe. It's your first day, so we're going easy on you. Commander Bishop will guide you through your mission and brief you en route. Any questions?"

"What's the team name?" Blob asked.

"You are officially SHIELD Tactical Metahuman Enforcement Division Unit 1. But, you'll obviously need a different name for public use. I thought I'd leave that up to you," Fury smiled.

"I think I speak for the rest of us when I say our team name is The Brotherhood," Quicksilver said. Avalanche, Blob and Toad nodded in agreement. Pyro said a quick 'no' but nobody paid any attention to him. The Scarlet Witch didn't seem to care one way or the other.

"That about covers everything. Good luck." The team saluted Fury as he left the lobby.

"Follow me to the hangar," Bishop ordered. "I'll bring you all up to speed." They followed, with Quicksilver leading the group, followed by Avalanche and the Scarlet Witch. Toad hopped after them, and Blob and Pyro trailed behind.

"Since we'll be working together, Allerdyce, I think we should patch things up," Blob explained. Pyro walked next to him, giving him a suspicious look. "No hard feelings?"

"None at all, Dukes," Pyro said, suddenly smiling. "But since we're going to have to be buddy-buddy now, we should be honest. Personally, I think you could do a little better in the wardrobe department, and frankly, you're showing a little more than I'd like to see."

"Maybe, but I'm comfortable. Hey, since we're being honest now, I've got a little secret you might want to hear."

"Oh? Well fill me in." Blob leaned in, shifting his eyebrows.

"I hear Maximoff has a huge crush on you," Blob said in a low voice.

"Oh yeah? It must be my good looks and natural charm. Maybe we could get together later today, once the mission's over. Hot and sweaty after all that action, you know what I mean? Hahahahaha!" Pyro glanced forward. Quicksilver had heard his laugh and looked back at him. Noticing that Pyro was looking at him (but otherwise oblivious to the conversation going on), Quicksilver smiled and waved to him. The blood rushed out of Pyro's face. Coincidentally, Blob's face turned red as he tried to keep back his laughter. "Now wait a second, _which Maximoff?!_"

Blob could no longer contain his laughter.

"You fat bastard, don't do this to me!" Anguished, Pyro crossed his arms and pouted. The group finally arrived at the hangar, where a refurbished SHIELD helijet waited for them. The insignia had been removed, as well as some of the more conspicuous weapons systems, but otherwise it was just like the one the Brotherhood had stolen.

"Alright, here we are," Bishop said. "This is your first mission, so I'll be accompanying you to make sure you don't fuck it up. I want to make this as smooth as possible, so Pyro, you're sitting this one out."

"Well that's not fair!" Pyro protested. "I get to come on the next one, right?"

"Maybe. The rest of you, let's get onboard." Like the other helijets, there were several seats in the passenger area, all facing inward. A SHIELD pilot sat at the controls with Toad as his copilot, though he was there mostly to observe the pilot rather than participate. Avalanche and Quicksilver took the seats closest to the front, with the Scarlet Witch seated next to Quicksilver, and Blob a few seats away from Avalanche. Bishop stood up in front of them, holding onto the a handle on the ceiling.

"Okay, simple enough," Bishop said. "We're flying to Montgomery on riot control at an anti-mutant rally. We have a tip that some mutant militants might act up. Our job is to provide security."

"Whoa, we're working for mutant haters?" Toad asked.

"No, but we have reason to believe that these mutant activists have powerful underworld ties. We just want to make sure they don't do anything stupid and keep the people safe. Otherwise, we'd let those bigots get what they deserve." Once Bishop was seated, Avalanche took a cell phone from his belt and dialed a number.

"Kitty?" Quicksilver asked.

"Who else? Hey, Kitty! Yeah. No, it's great, we're going on our first mission right now, sounds like a fun one. Actually, I can't tell you what it is, since, well, you're just a civilian. Huh? Come on, Kitty, I was just joking around. Yeah. So listen, I don't get too much time off, I thought maybe I could call ahead and tell you to leave your schedule open so we could go dancing... or something. I mean, if you want. Really? Awesome! So, what are you up to?"

"_AVALANCHE!_" Bishop yelled. "No phone calls during missions, understand?!"

"Right. Gotta go Kitty. I'll miss you. No, I'll miss you more. No, I'll miss you more. No, I'll-" Quicksilver quickly took the phone from him.

"He really will miss you more. Buh-bye!" Quicksilver shut it off and returned to his seat. Avalanche grumbled, but then shrugged. The jet hit a bit of turbulence and Avalanche took a pill from his belt.

"Hey Fred, wake me when we land, okay?" Avalanche popped the pill into his mouth and dozed off.

"Uh... I don't think you're supposed to do that, Lance," Quicksilver told him. "Lance? Aw, he's out."

-------------------------------

At the steps of a courthouse in downtown Montgomery, a mob riot had broken out. Men wearing black military uniforms with black motorcycle helmets and yellow armbands stood at the podium, behind a middle-aged man with light brown hair and small glasses standing behind the podium, cowering in fear. Mutant thugs attacked the anti-mutant activists and the strange motorcycle men fought back with their rifles, aiming to kill.

"Uh... I think we got here a little late," Quicksilver said to Bishop as their jet landed roughly in an empty lot near the courthouse.

"The riot's broken out, so we have only one option. Quiz time, Team Leader, what do we do?"

"We ignore mutant and human lines and bring down everyone who's causing a fuss."

"Exactly. Get out there and earn your pay!" And just like that, the Brotherhood emerged from the helijet. Avalanche and Blob were eager to get into the fray. Quicksilver observed the riot and tried to determine how many rioters he could bring down in twenty... no, ten seconds. Toad looked around to see if there was anyone he could actually beat. The Scarlet Witch's hands were charged with hex energy, ready to be unleashed.

"Let's give 'em hell," Quicksilver said, and the team went to work.

Five years after they had split, the Brotherhood five were back. Whether kept together by duty, convenience, or some kind of actual fondness for one another, something always brought kept them close to one another. Sometimes whether they liked it or not. But this time, they were actually happy with the circumstances- getting paid to beat people up.

Professor Xavier was right. Some people never change.

**IT BEGINS. **

**Alright, some final notes for the curious:**

-Pyro's part is small because I wanted to concentrate on the five core members (I did title it "Brotherhood Five" for a reason), and the main cast was getting pretty large as it was. He'll be featured a little more in future stories. Also, just for future reference: there will be no "Jonda." That pairing makes absolutely no sense to me.

-Bishop's backstory will not involve time travel. I'm trying to keep a certain level of realism (well, as much as you can with mutants and giant robots and all that), so I'm going to do something else with Bishop's past.

-I wanted to include Tabitha at some point, but I thought it was better to give her a full re-introduction rather than throw her in. She's such an attention-grabbing character that she more or less demands focus. Unfortunately... I couldn't find room for her in The Fugitive Nine, either. There is a mention of what she's been up to, but she doesn't actually appear. I promise, she'll be in the next one after that.

-I'm going to be honest: after Iceman and the pre-Morlock Spyke, Lucas is probably my least favorite character. To be more honest, I only included him out of convenience. I didn't want to give Lucas's role to an original character (something I try to avoid), and he was a powerful enough threat that also had something in common with Wanda (whose memory-whack I needed to clear up). They never mentioned his goals in the series, so to make things easier, I wrote him as being obsessed with revenge against his father. When pairing the two, I specifically avoided making them affectionate (beyond a single scene, which was only done to highlight just how out of touch Lucas is) and playing on the fact that both are obsessive and bitter. When put together, Wanda comes off looking better, as she still has a shred of decency and compassion. Lucas is just insane, though I think I came up with a decent explanation for his two-dimensional, single-minded behavior.

-I'll get to the New Mutants... eventually. They're not in Fugitive Nine. In fact, I don't think they're even mentioned. I'll admit I don't especially like them.

-No, Gambit ("REMY!!!") isn't in this one. However, he's going to play a very large role in Fugitive Nine. I'm not sure it'll be well-liked since it doesn't involve forced romance between him and Rogue, but I'd compare the size of Gambit's role to the size of Lucas's role in this story.

-No, X23 was not on the team. Like Tabitha, I felt she needed a proper re-introduction. This will be dealt with in the next one.

**Once I'm comfortable that enough people have read this (for continuity's sake, not vanity), I'll start posting the first story arc in the series. It's essentially finished, so once I begin posting, each additional installment/episode/whatever (each takes up about three chapters) will be posted every week until the arc is finished. Then, I'm taking a break. Naturally, the next story follows the Brotherhood as they hunt down the Fugitive Nine. Some of the nine were named in this chapter, some were only referenced, and some weren't mentioned at all. Actually, let me try to sell it a bit:**

**IN THE NEXT INSTALLMENT OF **_**BROTHERHOOD FIVE:**_

**As the Brotherhood establish themselves in Bayville, Mayor Kelly grows irritated, and the X-Men grow anxious. Tasked with tracking down and capturing the Fugitive Nine that escaped from Stokes Maximum, the Brotherhood must put their SHIELD training to the test- especially when there's a mysterious new villain interfering with their mission. What is his motive, and why does he refuse to show himself? More importantly, how long can the Brotherhood stay together without driving each other insane?**

**Next: THE FUGITIVE NINE! More titles with numbers in them!**

**So now that you're done... how about some reviews? It doesn't have to be too much, but I'd like feedback on how the characters and their relationships have changed, the story, the style... hell, if you just want call me names, that's fine, too. Call me a dork, I haven't been called that in years.**


End file.
